Easy Blackened Chicken Recipe (with Homemade Spice Blend)
Published Jun 18, 2024
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Here’s an easy recipe for the most delicious, flavorful, and versatile Blackened Chicken! Made with a blend of simple pantry seasonings, this chicken is effortlessly tasty and can be enjoyed with sides, in tacos, on salads, and more!
Table of Contents
What is Blackened Seasoning?
Blackened seasoning is a flavorful spice blend with a kick! It creates a charred, “blackened” crust on meats, seafood, and vegetables when cooked in a skillet. This seasoning typically includes a combination of spices: paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and dried oregano, though in this recipe I’m using Italian seasoning instead of the last two. This blend of spices gives an amazing balance of heat, smokiness, and aromatic flavors.
The meat or veggies are generously coated with the seasoning blend before being seared in a hot skillet, resulting in a dark, crispy exterior and a juicy, flavorful interior. Blackened seasoning is popular in Cajun cuisine, and is known for its bold and spicy profile!
What Makes This Recipe Great
Today, we’re spicing up plain old chicken to make a savory, flavorful, and easy Blackened Chicken recipe! This dish is made by coating chicken in a blend of spices and then pan-fried to get a charred crust on the outside, then oven-baked to finish it off. This blackening technique is super easy to do and yields the most tender chicken.
The blackening seasoning is a super easy blend of seven pantry spices you probably already have on hand and it gives the chicken a spicy kick. This versatile chicken recipe comes together in just about 30 minutes and goes with just about everything! You can serve it with various side dishes like green beans and other veggies, a side of rice or potatoes, or use it in tacos, salads, burrito bowls, pasta, and more!
Ingredient Notes
- boneless skinless chicken breasts: You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, just keep in mind you might need to adjust the cooking time.
- avocado oil or olive oil
Blackened Seasoning Mix
- salt
- paprika
- ground cumin
- Italian seasoning
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- black pepper
- cayenne pepper
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, oregano, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt in a small bowl.
- Brush the chicken breasts with enough oil on both sides. Generously coat all sides of the chicken breast with the spice mixture.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or oven-safe pan over medium-high heat until the pan is very hot but not smoking. Place the seasoned chicken breasts in the hot cast iron skillet. Sear for about 3 minutes on each side, until a dark crust forms.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 165°F or 74°C. Use an instant-read thermometer if needed).
Mac’s Pro Tip
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have Italian seasoning you can replace it with dried thyme and dried oregano.
- Feel free to use chicken thighs if desired, just keep in you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- To finish these in the air fryer instead of the oven, preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees F and grease the air fryer basket. After pan-frying, place the chicken in the air fryer and cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Serving & Storage Tips
Serve this blackened chicken with a variety of sides of roasted veggies, regular potatoes, or sweet potatoes, or use it for salads, chicken tacos, burrito bowls, and more! This is a great meal prep recipe because you can really use the chicken for a variety of meals and the serving options are endless.
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Gently reheat in the microwave or stovetop and serve atop a salad or alongside your favorite side dishes.
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Easy Blackened Chicken Recipe (with Homemade Spice Blend)
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 teaspoons salt or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼-½ teaspoon cayenne pepper adjust to taste for spiciness
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, oregano, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt in a small bowl.
- Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil on both sides. Generously coat each chicken breast with the spice mixture.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or oven-safe pan over medium-high heat until the pan is very hot but not smoking. Place the seasoned chicken breasts in the hot skillet. Sear for about 3 minutes on each side, until a dark crust forms.
- Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature should reach 165°F or 74°C).
Notes
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have Italian seasoning you can replace it with dried thyme and dried oregano.
- Feel free to use chicken thighs if desired, just keep in you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- To finish these in the air fryer instead of the oven, preheat your air fryer to 375 degrees F and grease the air fryer basket. After pan-frying, place the chicken in the air fryer and cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Serving & Storage Tips
Serve this blackened chicken with a variety of sides of roasted veggies, regular potatoes, or sweet potatoes, or use it for salads, chicken tacos, burrito bowls, and more! This is a great meal prep recipe because you can really use the chicken for a variety of meals and the serving options are endless. Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Gently reheat in the microwave or stovetop and serve atop a salad or alongside your favorite side dishes.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The best blackened chicken I have ever had! So juicy and perfect.