Cajun Blackened Chicken: Easy & Delicious
I’m always looking for new ways to prepare chicken. While I love more exotic recipes like my chicken tikka masala, sometimes you need a chicken recipe that’s more than just plain grilled chicken, but that doesn’t require tons of time. On those evenings, I turn to this blackened chicken recipe.
Ready in under 30 minutes, blackened chicken is a recipe you can whip up in minutes with ingredients already in the pantry. Best of all, the whole family will enjoy it.
What Is Blackened Chicken?
Let’s clear up some confusion first. Is blackened chicken burnt? No! Blackened chicken is just chicken that’s been coated in seasonings and pan-fried. Some people might know it better as Cajun chicken. The spices used in blackened chicken give the breast a nice darkened crust that’s absolutely packed with flavor.
In fact, that’s what makes blackened chicken so special. With seasonings like garlic powder, oregano, smoked paprika and cayenne, you get a chicken breast that’s bursting with Cajun spice in each bite. It gives food made on the stovetop a smoky taste, like you’d get on the grill, without all the hassle and cleanup.
Blackened chicken is incredibly versatile. Seriously, I love using it in a variety of ways.
How to Use
- Slice it and pile onto a big salad.
- Add it to a hamburger bun, top with goat cheese cheese and your favorite burger fixings and serve with sweet potato rosemary fries.
- Stuff it into a whole-grain pita with veggies and hummus.
- Add it into a sprouted grain salad.
- Serve it with a side of veggies.
- Use it for the chicken in this alfredo chicken and broccoli casserole.
- Shred it and use it in tacos.
- Serve with brown rice and a side of fried plantains.
The possibilities are endless! In fact, you may want to double, triple or even quadruple this recipe, and use the chicken throughout the week, lightening your cooking load during those busy weeknights.
Nutrition Facts
Here’s what a serving (half a breast) of blackened chicken looks like nutritionally:
- 212 calories
- 1.9 grams carbohydrates
- 0.6 grams fiber
- 0.1 grams sugar
- 10.2 grams fat
- 26.8 grams protein
- 11.4 milligrams vitamin B3 (81 percent DV)
- 1 milligrams vitamin B6 (76 percent DV)
- 27.3 micrograms selenium (50 percent DV)
- 259 milligrams phosphorus (37 percent DV)
- 1.8 milligrams vitamin B5 (36 percent DV)
- 0.2 milligrams vitamin B2 (20 percent DV)
- 1.8 milligrams vitamin E (12 percent DV)
- 0.1 milligrams vitamin B1 (11 percent DV)
- 242 IUs vitamin A (10 percent DV)
- 0.25 micrograms vitamin B12 (10 percent DV)
As you can tell, this chicken is chock-full of protein and healthy B vitamins and low in carbs.
How to Make Blackened Chicken
Ready to make this easy chicken recipe? Warm the avocado oil in a large pan over medium heat.
In the meantime, add the seasonings to a small bowl. Mix well until they’re combined.
Use tongs to place the chicken in the heated oil. Cover and fry for about 10 minutes on each side, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Coat each chicken breast with the seasonings.
Serve with vegetables or whatever you’d like! A drizzle of fresh lemon juice is delicious with this blackened chicken recipe.
Look how juice and succulent this chicken breast looks. Enjoy!
Other Great Chicken Dishes from Different Cultures
- Chicken paillard
- Hungarian chicken paprikash
- Greek chicken souvlaki
- Mexican chicken pozole verde
- Thai chicken stir fry
- Sweet and sour chicken
- Mediterranean chicken
- Easy pesto chicken
- Chicken Bryan
- Chicken marsala
- Chicken gumbo
- Chicken cacciatore
- Chicken katsu
Blackened Chicken Recipe
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Want to elevate grilled chicken breast? Try this high-protein, delicious blackened chicken with Cajun seasonings. It’s also easy to cook.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat, warm oil.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic, onion, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper, mixing until well-combined.
- Coat each side of chicken evenly with seasonings.
- With tongs, place the chicken in the heated oil.
- Cover and fry each side for about 10 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stovetop frying
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 breast (129g)
- Calories: 212
- Sugar: 0.1g
- Sodium: 345mg (23% DV)
- Fat: 10.2g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 1.9g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 26.9g
- Cholesterol: 86mg
Comments
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Loved the blackened chicken recipe
Oh my god, it looks so delicious yet light and healthy!