The One Spice Alton Brown Credits For His 'Perfect' Chicken Dish

With so many ways to make it, the perfect chicken dinner is delicious, easy to cook, and made with your favorite go-to spices. For some it's lemon pepper; for others, it might be rosemary, thyme, or oregano. The same can be said for celebrity chef (or rather, foodist) Alton Brown, whose go-to spice is one you already have in your spice rack.

Brown, who seems to have a secret ingredient for just about everything, says that paprika is his go-to spice for his favorite chicken dinner. On an episode of Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Made," Brown declares, "This is my favorite chicken dinner and most certainly the best chicken dinner I've ever made."

In his best chicken dinner, which includes perfectly cooked (and stuffed) chicken with crispy skin, the paprika adds what Brown describes as "Eastern European" flavor. Declaring that he likes smoke," paprika adds smoky flavors without using a smoker and Brown mixes it with oil to create a sticky paste that coats the chicken in his favorite smoky spice.

Alton Brown may be fond of paprika, but the popular spice has been prized for thousands of years. It was first used by Indigenous tribes in South America, including the Aztecs, before spreading to the rest of the world.

For Brown, the real treat comes during the cooking process. Not only does paprika add aromatics to the kitchen, but it mixes with chicken fat and drips down onto a bed of potatoes and onions for extra flavor, contributing to what Brown calls, "the perfect chicken dish."

For those who want to try the smoked flavor that Brown loves, traditional chicken paprikash puts the spotlight on paprika in a big way. While it's not exactly the same as Brown's chicken dinner, it's a traditional Hungarian dish that's not short on flavor. Browned chicken is cooked in a pan of stew infused with paprika and served over rice or potatoes, so part of the dish gets that smoky flavor.

Having your favorite paprika blend on your spice rack is always a good idea. Its familiar smoky flavor can be enjoyed in numerous chicken dishes, but it can also be used in a dry rub for chicken wings, as a smoky addition to a seasoning blend for tacos, and much more.