Test Kitchen - Celery Seed Dry Rub on Chicken

The suggestions came in for our Test Kitchen ingredient of celery seed last week - a dry rub was picked! It helps that I have way too many spices in the cabinet though because I got to play with an array of aromatics that made me feel like a mad scientist. Since the last dry rub we did was for red meat (see Coffee Dry Rubbed Steak), it was time to strike forward with a lighter rub that would flavor chicken well. With copious amounts of dried herbs and some inherently salty profiles, this rub shall satisfy those wanting a natural fragrance in smell but a salty spiciness in taste. Take a whirl at the recipe yourself. I only included a suggestion on how much chicken to use in the ingredients' list but just bear in mind that this recipe creates under a cup of rub (but certainly more than 1/2 a cup).

Step 1: Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp dried parsley
• 1 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp (black lava - optional) sea salt
• 1 tsp rubbed sage
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• olive oil
• 10-12 chicken drumsticks

Step 2: Creating the rub
Pre-heat oven at 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil to prepare for the drumsticks. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except for olive oil and chicken. Rub chicken drumsticks with olive oil.


Step 3: Finishing
Easy peasy here - just coat the chicken with the dry rub you just made. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!


This week's Test Kitchen ingredient: whole mustard seed
"Mustard seeds are from the mustard plant, which is a cruciferous vegetable related to broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. While there are approximately forty different varieties of mustard plants, there are three principal types used to make mustard seeds: black mustard (Brassica nigra), white mustard (Brassica alba) and brown mustard (Brassica juncea). Black mustard seeds have the most pungent taste, while white mustard seeds, which are actually yellow in color, are the most mild and are the ones used to make American yellow mustard. Brown mustard, which is actually dark yellow in color, has a pungent acrid taste and is the type used to make Dijon mustard." [Source: World's Healthiest Foods]

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Photography by Duc Duong.