Let this amazing Blackened Chicken be your next family meal! This recipe is bursting with flavor and has the perfect seasoning. Pair it with pasta, make it a sandwich, or enjoy it on its own!
Why This Recipe is the Best
Blackened Chicken is bold, juicy, and packed with flavor—what’s not to love? It’s one of those versatile recipes that tastes amazing no matter how you serve it, whether sliced over pasta, tossed in a salad, or stuffed into a sandwich. The smoky, spicy crust pairs perfectly with the tender inside, making it a go-to in our weekly dinner rotation. Plus, it’s quick, easy, and always a crowd-pleaser!
Family dinner is really important to us! Try these other tried-and-true meals for a great weeknight dinner. Five Cheese Marinara, Chicken Carbonara, and Big Mac Sloppy Joes.
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
Blackened chicken doesn't mean spicy! But it does mean you're going to have a flavored, packed chicken breast that is juicy and tender.
- Chicken Breasts- Make sure to have thawed and raw chicken breasts. You can also use chicken tenders, thighs, or your favorite cut. We like working with chicken breasts best.
- Cooking Oil- Use your favorite cooking oil, like olive oil, to cook the chicken on the stovetop.
- Spices- The best part of this dish is the strong flavor of spices. This dish uses Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Thyme, Cayenne, and Smoked Paprika. You can use normal paprika, but after recipe testing, Smoked Paprika adds a great flavor.
How to make Blackened Chicken
Learn how to cook blackened chicken with these easy to follow step by step process photos.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix all of the spices together.
- Rub cooking oil on the raw chicken breasts. This helps the spice stick to the chicken and adds extra flavor.
- Pat the spice mixture on the oiled chicken breast. Make sure that both sides are coated with seasoning.
- Warm a skillet on high until the pan is very hot! Add the chicken breasts and cook each side for about 30 seconds.
- Place the seared chicken breasts on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes at 425°F. Make sure the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Hint: Be sure to space the chicken out on the pan. The chicken breasts will start to stick together if they are touching.
Grilled vs. Blackened
For all methods of cooking, you need to sear in a pan before cooking. This gives it that iconic blackened look. Once blackened, you can transfer the chicken to the oven, grill, or even an air fryer.
Grilling involves cooking food over direct heat, such as a gas or charcoal grill. It gives the chicken a smoky flavor and gives it a slightly charred outside.
Blackened is popular in Cajun cuisine. The meat is coated in spices and then cooked in a hot skillet. The intense heat creates a dark and flavorful "crust" on the chicken.
Top tip
When cooking the chicken, there can be a lot of smoke! Make sure you use your stove top ventilation system or open a window when making the dish.
Recipe
Blackened Chicken
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper reduce to ¼ for less spicy
- 2 Tablespoons cooking oil for pan frying
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice chicken breasts in half lengthwise and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Whisk all spices together in a bowl. Rub a little oil onto each side of each chicken breast. Sprinkle the spice mix generously onto each side of each chicken breast, rubbing it in.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a cast iron pan or skillet on high. Allow to heat up until very hot, about 5 minutes. Cook each side of each chicken breast for about 30 seconds per side, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.
- Place seared chicken on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan. Place in preheated oven and bake about 10 minutes, until cooked through or internal temperature reaches 165° F.
Notes
- This recipe creates a lot of smoke! Open the windows or turn on a ventilating fan when making this dish.
- You can substitute regular paprika for smoked, but while testing this recipe we determined that we love the smoky flavor that smoked paprika brings!
- If the pan is over crowded while searing the chicken, the chicken breasts will start to stick to each other.
Nutrition
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with blackened chicken:
What to Serve
Some of our favorite sides to serve with blackened chicken is chickpea salad, brussel sprouts, asparagus, and rolls. You can also serve it on top of a Caesar salad, in a wrap, with fettuccine or linguine, po' boys, and even sliced for tacos. It's a very versatile meat that can be used for so many meals.
This chicken goes great in our Autumn Harvest Bowl and Mediterranean Bowl.
Storage
Store cooked chicken in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Be sure to reheat all the way through in the microwave, air fryer, or oven.
I like to make a big batch of this and then slice up the leftover chicken. I place the sliced chicken in a freezer bag and freeze the leftovers for a quick and easy meal later.
It's super important that you throw away any extra spice mixture. Because you will likely be rubbing the raw chicken and then sprinkling the spice, the spice will be contaminated for further use.
Andrea says
This is such a good blackened chicken! I made a bunch for sandwiches and meal prep and then for a fun spring meal.