Fast and Easy Blackened Chicken
Smoky, spicy, highly flavorful seasoned chicken kissed with a blackened exterior that envelops a juicy tender interior. It’s a tastebud tantalizing recipe to make any day of the year! It’s so simple to make and cooks quickly. It’s just a brisk mixing of spices, then generously seasoning the chicken and from there cooking in a super hot skillet for that beautiful finish. There’s a plethora of delicious sides to pair with it (lots of ideas below), and there’s also so much you can do with this chicken. My personal favorites for serving are pairing with coconut rice, corn, and mango avocado salsa (for a bit of that sweet + heat) but there’s endless options. And it doesn’t just need to be served solo. Try it in tacos, add it to pasta (like creamy alfredo), or toss into a salad.
Blackened Chicken Recipe Ingredients
Chicken Breasts: Small boneless skinless chicken breasts are used in this recipe. Dried spices: Smoke paprika, sweet paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper are all included here. Dried herbs: Dried oregano and thyme are traditional blackening seasoning herbs. Oil: Light olive oil or vegetable oil are recommended for this recipe with their higher smoke point. Butter: Salted butter or unsalted butter work fine for this recipe since a small amount is used.
How to Make Blackened Chicken
Helpful Tips
Use even size chicken breasts: It’s helpful to cook with chicken breasts that are close to the same size so they cook through at the same time. Preheat the skillet: For charred blackened chicken use a preheated hot skillet. It will take about 5 to 10 minutes to preheat a cast iron pan (depending on if you’re using gas or electric). Use cast iron: Cast iron blackens chicken beautifully. As it cooks if you find it’s darkening too quickly reduce temp a bit, if it’s not darkening enough increase temp. Have a thermometer handy: A digital food thermometer is highly recommended when cooking chicken breasts so you know it’s reached that target temperature of 165, this is for food safety and also so chicken doesn’t become overcooked and dry.
Variations
Make Grilled Blackened Chicken Breasts
To make blackened chicken on the grill prepared chicken use 6 to 8 oz chicken breasts. Brush chicken with a little honey or white sugar and olive oil (mixed). They will be lightly sweeter this way but it will really help them blacken better on the grill. Then sprinkle with the seasonings. Grill on a hot grill at about 450°F, covered, about 4 minutes per side. Or until they register 165°F in the center.
Using Chicken Thighs
To make this recipe with chicken thighs just use smaller chicken thighs, about 4 to 5 oz each.
Make Blackened Chicken Tacos
This blackened chicken recipe works great as a taco filling. After cooking simply let them cool for a few minutes then chop up into small pieces. Serve over warmed tortillas with toppings such as shredded lettuce or cabbage, pico de gallo, cilantro and shredded cheese.
Add Blackened Chicken to Salad
You’ll love this as a hearty filler in a green salad and it’s a great way to use up chilled leftovers too. Use Romaine lettuce or spinach as the base. Try serving with a lemon vinaigrette or honey mustard dressing. Include vegetables like tomatoes, corn, avocado, red onion, cucumber, or bell peppers.
What to Serve with Blackened Chicken
Here are some excellent options to serve with this chicken:
Baked Sweet Potato Fries Cilantro Lime Rice Coconut Rice Corn Salad Grilled Corn Mango Avocado Salsa Mashed Potatoes Mashed Sweet Potatoes Mexican Street Corn Salad Roasted Zucchini Squash and Tomatoes
More Tasty Cajun Style Recipes to Try
Blackened Salmon Blackened Shrimp One Pot Cajun Pasta Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken and Veggies Shrimp Boil
