Spicy and bold-tasting, this 30-minute recipe elevates the humble chicken breast into a wonderfully flavorful dish.
Making blackened chicken is as easy as can be: Simply rub the chicken with spices, sauté it briefly, then bake!
I make chicken often for my family. It's tasty and affordable, and everyone seems to like it, including The Picky Eater.
I like to make recipes such as chicken fajitas, chicken chili, tandoori chicken, and butter chicken.
This blackened chicken recipe has quickly become one of my favorite ways to prepare chicken. It's very tasty, everyone around here loves it, and it's also truly easy to make.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Lots of spices: I use a mixture of paprika, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Kosher salt: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use by half, or the dish could end up too salty.
- Chicken: I use boneless skinless chicken breasts in this recipe.
- Avocado oil: This is an excellent oil for high-temperature cooking. Melted ghee works too. I don't recommend using olive oil in this recipe. Its smoke point is too low for high-heat cooking.
Variations
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. The chicken will come out juicier. You will need to adjust the cooking time - chicken thighs are smaller and thinner and will need around 8-10 minutes in the oven, in my experience. But it's best to use a thermometer to check for doneness.
- Change up the spices you use. I sometimes like to use smoked paprika instead of sweet paprika and dried oregano instead of dried thyme.
- Instead of avocado oil, you can use melted butter or ghee. I especially like ghee - it adds richness and a nutty flavor.
Blackened Chicken Instructions
Making this recipe is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
- You start by mixing together the spices and salt. (Photos 1-2).
- Next, coat the chicken with oil and sprinkle it with spices. (Photo 3).
- Cook the chicken pieces in a cast-iron skillet, then finish cooking them in a 450°F oven for 10-12 minutes. (Photos 4-5).
- Let the chicken rest before slicing and serving to ensure it remains nice and juicy. (Photo 6).
Expert Tip
If your chicken breasts are larger than 8 oz each, they will need more time in the oven - around 15 minutes.
In this case, loosely cover the pan with foil to prevent the tops from burning.
Recipe FAQs
Blackened food is coated in some kind of fat (such as butter or oil), then coated in a mixture of spices and cooked in a cast-iron skillet until the coating becomes very dark, almost black.
In addition to this recipe, I also like to make blackened halibut and blackened salmon.
No, and I actually make sure I don't burn the chicken. The dark color comes from the spices becoming charred, not from the chicken itself being burnt.
It's a mix of various Cajun-style spices, such as paprika, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
Serving Suggestions
Blackened chicken goes with anything. It's a truly versatile main course. But since I bake it in a 450°F oven, I like to serve it with a side dish that I can cook in the same oven, such as:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in a sealed container, for 3-4 days.
If you reheat them, do so gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.
Reheated chicken is often a bit dry, so I actually prefer to use the leftovers cold, thinly sliced, as a salad topping the next day for my lunch. They're excellent in this chicken cobb salad.
The leftovers are also perfect in a sandwich made with this almond flour bread or in a lettuce wrap.
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Recipe Card
Blackened Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 (8 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or avocado oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the kosher salt, paprika, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
- Brush (or spray) the chicken breasts with the oil on both sides, then sprinkle both sides with the seasoning mixture, pressing with your fingers to help the coating adhere.
- Heat a well-seasoned, large cast iron skillet over high heat until smoking hot, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken breasts. Cook for 30 seconds on each side to blacken, then place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking for 10-12 minutes. The chicken is done when no longer pink in the center, juices run clear when pierced with a fork, and its internal temperature reaches 160℉.*
- Remove the chicken to a platter, loosely cover it with foil to keep it warm, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Video
Notes
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Nutrition per Serving
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
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