Spice advice?

[marydell]

Like many people, I love garlic, but it doesn't love me, so I can only have it once in a while.  Onion also doesn't love me, but since I only kinda like onion, this doesn't bother me as much.  Anyway, I'm hoping to find some kind of savory seasoning that I can dump on chicken (or steak, but mostly chicken) while cooking it that will have a similar effect to that of garlic salt.  Strong flavor, no marinating needed, and capsaicin-free because I can't handle spicy/hot anything. I was making chicken for Mike and myself (pan-frying skinless breasts in olive oil) and I put garlic salt on his and paprika, salt, and pepper on mine, and his was SO much more tasty.  Mine tasted fine on the outside but bland on the inside.  I know that cooking it differently would get a more flavorful result, but I like being able to cook dinner in 7 minutes without any prep, so I'm looking for something you put on as you put the meat in the pan/broiler/grill.

Suggestions?  (and is lemon pepper as terrible as I remember it being in my childhood?)

Comments

[seawasp]

Depends on what "spicy" is for you. Ginger is one thing that comes to mind. Scallions would be another -- some people who have trouble with onion have none with green onions/scallions.

Lemon pepper can be fine, but you'd have to figure out what ratio of lemon to pepper to use.

[marydell.livejournal.com]

The ratio would be whatever those nice folks at McCormick's are using, which is probably why I remember it as being terrible. :)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

You can do all sorts of spice blends for something like this. I just did a spice blend for a lamb marinade that has ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom. How spicy that comes out should depend on what kind and how much you use of those, but if you mix up the spices in tiny amounts (1/2 t. for the first three and 1/8 t. for the others for a couple of meals worth of chicken), I wouldn't think it would be knock your socks off spicy.

[noveldevice.livejournal.com]

I second ginger, but also...do you like the taste of celery seed? Celery salt might have the effect you're looking for.

[cakmpls.livejournal.com]

I don't have a specific suggestion, but do you get the Penzey's catalog? They have some great stuff!

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

I second Penzey's. Look through their spices and mixes, and see what appeals. www.penzeys.com .

[bifemmefatale.livejournal.com]

Worcestershire? Balsamic vinegar? Oregano/basil/thyme? Tamari or soy? A dash of white wine and a bit of stock?

[vcmw]

Because ginger is a wet, plant-ish spicy thing I think it would have more of the sinking-in effect that garlic and onion have so I third/fourth/whatever that recommendation. But I don't cook meat much of ever, so I'm not sure how deep it sinks in.

[ebony14.livejournal.com]

You might consider herbs du provence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbes_de_Provence), which Yahoo! Answers (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071130060411AA7BKiY) has a formula for. It works very well as a savory combination on chicken (I usually use olive oil as a medium, but you could try chicken broth or something else), as well as a good spice base for stews.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I am not sure of the garlic content of Montreal Steak Seasoning, but it's awesome stuff. Good on burgers too.

[lcohen]

how about a marinade--olive oil, lemon juice, italian seasoning from your friendly grocer. throw 'em in in the morning, cook 'em up that night?

[ashnistrike.livejournal.com]

Lemon pepper can be quite tasty--Penzey's mix has garlic into it, but you could as easily grind fresh ground pepper with dried lemon peel and get something pretty good and simple. Dried orange peel is a nice variation for citrus, too.

Fennel pollen is intense and goes well with chicken, but I rarely mix it with anything else. Taragon is delicious and springy, and goes well with other greens like parsley and oregano.

If your problem is very specifically with garlic, onion salt is similar to garlic salt. I think it's a bit dull, though.

I have a smoked sea salt that I'm very fond of, and adds an extra layer to the basic salt taste.

Penzey's has sniffing jars in their Oak Park store. Generally, spices taste like they smell, so it would be fairly easy to walk around sniffing all the garlic-free mixes and see what you like best. Sunny Paris is my favorite. S loves their zatar; I think it's a bit astringent.