Name: Blackened Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 Chicken Breasts; 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter (, to cook with ); 1 Lime (, cut in 6 wedges ); 1 Tbsp Smoke Paprika; 1 Tbsp Dry Rosemary; 1 Tbsp Cumin; 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder; 1 Tbsp Onion Powder; 1 Tsp Salt; 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter (, melted)

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What is Blackened Chicken, and is it burnt? The dark coloration on this very tasty chicken is due to the blend of spices used to marinade it. The blackening seasoning blend is a milder cousin to the typical Cajun spice blend. Although both versions derive from the same region of the United States in Louisiana.

This is an image of cooked Blackened Chicken inside of a cast iron pan.

Squeeze lime wedges onto the cooked Blackened Chicken and it will make all the flavors come alive!

Serve with my favorite Buttered Garlic Rice recipe and your favorite veggies or salad. Looking for more chicken recipe? Try out our oven baked Ranch Chicken!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Storage
Recipe

Ingredients

Most of the ingredients are going to be in the spice blend to make the marinade/crust.

This is an image of a plate containing 4 chicken breasts. Beside it, is a bowl with melted butter, and a bowl with spices.

Chicken Breasts (or thighs)
Unsalted Butter
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Rosemary
Cumin
Salt

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This is an image of a teaspoon of salt, held over a bowl containing spices.

In a small bow, combine all the spices.

This is an image of a bowl of spices beside another bowl containing butter.

Melt the butter and pour over the spices. Mix together until it forms a paste.

This is an image of a plate of 4 chicken breasts with a bowl of spice marinade beside it.

Brush the marinading paste on both sides of the chicken.

This is an image of 4 marinated chicken breasts on a plate.

Let the coated chicken marinade for 15-20 minutes.

This is an image of marinated chicken in a cast iron pan sitting on the stove.

Heat up your cast iron skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat. Melt some butter in the hot pan and place the marinated chicken in the pan. Cook through to get a nice charred color on both side. Use a meat probing thermometer to make sure you have an internal temperature of 165F in the thickest part of the large piece of meat.

Serve with lime wedges.

Hint: Make sure that your pan is not too hot so that your chicken has a chance to cook through without "actually" burning the outside.

This is an image of a piece of cooked chicken being held up by a fork, with a dish of cooked chicken with lime wedges in the background.

Substitutions

Thyme - Replace the rosemary with thyme for a similar flavor.
Paprika - I used Smoke Paprika in this recipe but sweet paprika also works very well.
Chicken - Replace the 4 chicken breast with 10 chicken thighs.

When using chicken thighs instead of the breast, the marinading process with be the same. Be careful with your cooking time on the thighs, they might cook faster if they are not as thick.

Storage

Refrigerate any remaining chicken breast in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe