THIS is the classic blackened chicken recipe you need! Made with a homemade seasoning mix, it’s super-juicy chicken with the perfect amount of spice.
Blackened chicken is so amazing. The seasoning adds tons of flavor to the chicken and you likely have the spices needed already. Note that instructions are given for using store-bought blackening seasoning and also Cajun seasoning, if you don’t want to use individual spices. The finished blackened chicken from this recipe can be the main entree for a meal, or part of a variety of dishes, like added to a pasta sauce or put into tacos.
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
- What Is Blackened Chicken?
- Type Of Chicken To Use
- Homemade Blackened Spice
- Can I Use Creole Seasoning Instead?
- Can I Use Cajun Seasoning Instead?
- How To Use Cajun Seasoning as Blackened Seasoning
- How To Make Juicy Blackened Chicken
- Should I Brine The Chicken Breasts?
- Serving Blackened Chicken
- More Chicken Breast Recipes
- Podcast Episode: Making Blackened Chicken
- Blackened Chicken Breast Recipe
What Is Blackened Chicken?
Blackened chicken is a dish where chicken is covered with a generous amount of Cajun spices before cooking. It gets seared to form the signature dark crust with the spices, while staying juicy and delicious inside.
Type Of Chicken To Use
The best chicken for blackened chicken is either boneless skinless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs. This is because we want to cook the chicken over high heat to get the spices to blacken, and then we want it to be pretty much cooked through shortly afterwards. If we use bone-in chicken, the chicken will take a lot longer to cook, as you can see with this Crispy Chicken Drumstick Recipe, bone-in chicken takes as much as 50 minutes at 425°F.
I also prefer skinless chicken when blackening. This is because I like the seasoning blend to be in contact with the chicken meat so that it flavors it well. If the chicken has skin, the seasoning is on the skin and tends to come off in my first bite, leaving the rest of the chicken less flavorful.
Note, below I’ll be telling you about pounding chicken to an even thickness and about brining chicken for this recipe. Both steps are optional, but only should be applied to chicken breasts. Boneless chicken thighs are already a fairly even thickness and thin enough already, and they’re so juicy that they don’t need brining.
Homemade Blackened Spice
The key to making great blackened chicken is to start with something called blackening seasoning (sometimes labeled blackened seasoning). This mix of spices gives the chicken its characteristic spicy, smoky flavor and that deep dark color that you know and love.
Depending on where you’re located, blackened seasoning can be tricky to find in some grocery stores. It also might not be economical unless you make a LOT of blackened chicken!
Luckily, it’s pretty easy to make your own seasoning blends from standard spices. There’s a good chance that you already have a most of the spices needed on your spice rack. If not, they’re all really easy to source and can be used in loads of other recipes, too!
To make homemade blackened seasoning, you’ll need:
- Paprika
- Dried thyme
- Dried oregano
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
Don’t use smoked paprika for this recipe, or it will be overpowering. Regular paprika is all you need. If you want a little extra kick, you can also use Hungarian half-sharp paprika, which is a little spicy. Or you can use hot paprika for part of the paprika amount. Be sure to adjust the cayenne pepper for more or less heat, according to your preference.
Can I Use Creole Seasoning Instead?
No, not really. Creole seasoning is missing the paprika for sure, but also has a different balance of the other ingredients, with more onion powder and garlic powder than thyme and oregano. You could add 1 and a half teaspoons of paprika to 3 and a half teaspoons of Creole seasoning. However, it will be better if you use the seasonings in the Blackened Chicken Recipe below, or use Cajun seasoning in the way that I’m about to explain.
Can I Use Cajun Seasoning Instead?
The answer is “sort of.” As you can see from this homemade Cajun seasoning recipe, a lot of the ingredients are the same as what’s listed for the blackened ingredients above, but a couple are missing. Crucially, Cajun seasoning doesn’t usually contain thyme or oregano. And, this is important! It is those two dried herbs that help with the actual blackening because they darken when heated. Also, they add a savory note to blackened recipes that wouldn’t be found if you just used straight-up Cajun seasoning.
So, if you have Cajun seasoning, or if you made a batch, you can use it, but it is best if you add in some dried thyme and dried oregano.
How To Use Cajun Seasoning as Blackened Seasoning
If you have homemade or store-bought Cajun seasoning and you want to use it as your blackened seasoning for this recipe, you absolutely can. But first, you’re going to add in that dried thyme and dried oregano, as follows:
To every 3 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning, add 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves and 1 teaspoon dried oregano.
You will now have 5 teaspoons of seasoning, which is the correct amount for the recipe below.
How To Make Juicy Blackened Chicken
This is optional but, to keep your chicken breasts nice and juicy, start by pounding them to an even thickness. This will help the chicken cook evenly, so the thinner parts don’t overcook before the thicker parts are done. Pounding the chicken thinner also means that the chicken will take less long to cook and will thus be in contact with the heat for less time, meaning that it will end up juicier.
Note that if you’re using chicken thighs, you shouldn’t pound them thinner. You will simply take them out of their package and, if they are rolled into bundless, unroll them so that they are flatter pieces.
When it comes to making your blackened chicken, season the chicken generously on both sides with your homemade blackening spice. Sear the chicken for 3 minutes per side on the stovetop in a large oven-safe skillet, like a cast iron skillet. You’re looking for a nice, dark crust to form.
Then, transfer the skillet of darkened chicken to a hot 450°F oven to finish cooking, 7-12 minutes more, depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. If your skillet isn’t oven-safe, you can transfer the chicken to a baking sheet first instead.
Finishing the chicken in the oven instead of cooking it the whole way on the stovetop will help ensure the spices don’t burn while the chicken cooks through. After all, you’re making blackened chicken, not burned chicken!
Should I Brine The Chicken Breasts?
If you pound the chicken breasts as instructed, they’ll be pretty juicy, and the seasoning is very flavorful, so brining is not necessary. But, if you’d like, you can brine the chicken after pounding it to an even thickness (if doing that step). This will season the chicken breasts throughout and help keep them juicy and tender as well. Don’t bother brining chicken thighs since they’re juicy enough already and will get tons of flavor from the seasonings.
To brine chicken breasts, combine 4 cups cold tap water and 4 and 1/2 Tbsp. Morton’s kosher salt (or 3 tablespoons of fine or table salt) in a bowl and stir until dissolved. Add chicken and let brine for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (Put in the fridge if brining for more than 30 minutes.) Remove chicken from the brine and pat dry (but do not rinse) before continuing with recipe.
IMPORTANT: Since the brine adds salt to the chicken, you’ll want to make the seasoning blend yourself so you can eliminate the salt. A prepared blend will already include salt and will likely make the chicken too salty after brining. If you brine the chicken, do not use a seasoning blend that contains salt, and do not add the salt listed in the recipe.
Serving Blackened Chicken
Blackened chicken is also really versatile. You can serve it as an entrée with rice or mashed potatoes and a vegetable side dish. Or mix it into fettuccine alfredo for a fabulous pasta dinner – I love the contrast of the creamy sauce with the spiced chicken.
It’s also great sliced and served on top of a salad, or turned into a chicken sandwich. It’s really delicious for chicken tacos or taco bowls too. Get creative and let me know in the comments how you’re serving yours.
More Chicken Breast Recipes
Browse our full collection of chicken recipes or try one of the favorites below next.
- Oven-Baked Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- BBQ Chicken Breast Recipe
- Homemade Szechuan Chicken
- How to Bake Chicken Breasts
Podcast Episode: Making Blackened Chicken
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this recipe, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Blackened Chicken Breast Recipe
This is the classic blackened chicken recipe you need! Made with a homemade seasoning mix, it’s super-juicy chicken with the perfect amount of spice. See the first note below if you have either Blackened Seasoning or Cajun Seasoning that you’d like to use in this recipe instead of the seasonings listed.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients
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4 (6-7 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts*
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1 1/2 tsp. paprika**
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1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
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1 tsp. dried oregano
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1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
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1/8 tsp. black pepper
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1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
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1 Tbsp. oil
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 450°F.
- Optional Step: Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness.***
- In a small bowl, combine the paprika, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Sprinkle the chicken generously on all sides with the spice mixture. Gently pat the spices onto the chicken to help them stick.
- Set a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add oil and heat until very hot. Add the chicken and cook chicken until the spices darken and a crust begins to form underneath, 3-4 minutes. Flip chicken and repeat on the other side.
- Transfer the skillet with chicken to the oven and bake until chicken is no longer pink inside and is cooked to 165°F, 7-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.
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Notes
*If using boneless skinless chicken thighs, you’ll need 6 of them, unrolled as flat pieces. Don’t pound them thinner, but leave them as they are.
**If you have store-bought blackened seasoning, you’ll use 5 teaspoons of it in place of the paprika, thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. If you have store-bought or homemade Cajun seasoning, skip the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Instead, you will use 3 teaspoons of the Cajun seasoning mixed with 1 teaspoon of dried thyme leaves and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
***Chicken breasts tend to be of an uneven thickness with a thinner pointy end and a thicker rounded end. If you don’t pound them to an even thickness, the pointy end will end up overcooked and dry before the thicker end cooks through. So, for the juiciest chicken breasts, place them between two sheets of plastic wrap and use a rolling pin or flat mallet to pound them to between 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch.
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