Blackened Chicken Breasts

Name: Blackened Chicken Breasts
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal (or 1 3/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt); 1 tablespoon smoked paprika; 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme; 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano; 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder; 1/2 tablespoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon mustard powder; 1 teaspoon ground cayenne; 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds (see Tip); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

By Kia Damon

Published May 29, 2024

Blackened Chicken Breasts — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Total Time: 20 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 5(1,389)
Comments: Read comments

Blackening is a technique that should live in the repertoire of every home cook. With a heavy- bottomed skillet and a Cajun-style spice blend, you can take proteins like shrimp, fish, scallops and the chicken breasts in this recipe and flip them into something flavorful, delicious and juicy. Most grocery store chicken breasts are large, so slicing the chicken in half horizontally ensures they cook quickly and more evenly. Blackened chicken can stand alone as a main or it can sit atop a large, leafy salad with Caesar dressing or a creamy, Cajun pasta. When cooking this recipe, be aware of the inevitable smokiness that comes with searing at such high heat. Consider opening a window and turning the overhead fan on before getting started — nothing upends the cooking process quite like smoke alarms. Store any leftover chicken in the fridge for up to three days and upgrade your breakfast or lunch (think western-style omelets, breakfast burritos and chicken salad).

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1tablespoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal (or 1¾ teaspoons coarse kosher salt)
1tablespoon smoked paprika
½tablespoon dried thyme
½tablespoon dried oregano
½tablespoon garlic powder
½tablespoon onion powder
1teaspoon mustard powder
1teaspoon ground cayenne
2boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1½ to 2 pounds (see Tip)
2tablespoons vegetable oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Make the blackening seasoning: In a small bowl, combine the salt, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder and cayenne.
Step 2
Carefully slice the chicken breasts horizontally in half, then pat dry with a paper towel. Thoroughly coat all sides with the blackening seasoning and set aside.
Step 3
Drizzle oil into a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high. When the oil begins to shimmer, carefully place the chicken in the pan and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Watch out for any oil splattering and popping out of the pan. Cook until the seasoning literally darkens. After 5 minutes, flip the chicken and cook for another 3 minutes.
Step 4
Turn off the heat and leave the pan tented with aluminum foil for 5 minutes (this will help the chicken continue cooking from the residual heat without drying out). Remove the foil, then let the chicken rest for at least 2 minutes.
Step 5
When ready to serve, slice the chicken on a bias into ½-inch pieces. Serve immediately.

Tip

About 30 minutes before prepping, remove the chicken from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature.

Ratings

5 out of 5

1,389 user ratings

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Comments

Chris B.1 year ago

Made this tonight & halved & sliced a boneless breast lengthwise. Poured just enough canola oil into a small Corning French white quiche dish & baked for 15 minutes at 350°. I served it with this sauce: Cajun Mayo Dipping Sauce: I halved all amounts of sauce. 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon black pepper 1/8 teaspoon onion powder 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme 1/8 teaspoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon salt pinch of dried oregano

Erika1 year ago

We made this tonight, as written, except that we plopped it straight on our gas grill, no pans or griddles. It blackened perfectly and was sill moist. Our chicken breasts were relatively thin so we didn’t need to slice or pound them out. I will say - I love salt- but this was incredible salty and we did use kosher salt. I would definitely make this again but would cut the salt in half.

Chris B.1 year ago

I put together the blackening seasoning for future use. It makes 1/4 Cup of spices & I dated the jar.

Christina1 week ago

The first one I made was so burned it set on fire, and I think using a cast iron skillet made the oil too hot. However, after breaking through the blackened crust the my second piece of still black crust, the chicken was juicy and delicious. I used only 1/4tsp cayenne since my 19-month old wanted to try it, and it wasn’t too spicy for her. Might try again with a different skillet to see if it’s less burned and more like the photo. All, thank you, Chris B. for the dipping sauce! It was great

Squirrel Butler1 week ago

Re: the "Tip" to let the meat come to room temperature: numerous studies have shown it makes no difference at all in terms of how well the meat cooks or how long it takes to cook it. See this link: https://www.foodandwine.com/should-raw-meat-be-at-room-temperature-before-you-cook-it-8706186#:~:text=Bringing%20meat%20to%20room%20temperature%20doesn't%20make%20a%20difference,they%20are%20short%20on%20time.

Robin1 week ago

Has anyone tried this with boneless/skinless thighs?

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