I’ve always gravitated toward blackened chicken salads on restaurant menus. In fact, I think it was exactly what I ordered on my first date with my (now) husband. I love how the simple combination of spices elevates chicken breasts, creating a fancier and more flavorful meal with little effort. I’ve been making this simple grilled blackened chicken to add to chopped salads or serve with a side of veggies for many years now.
Recipe Highlights
Everyday spices: Every spice I need for this recipe is a common one that I keep on hand in my pantry, so I appreciate that I don’t have to buy any specialty ingredients to make it.
Fast to make: It takes just 20 minutes to cook a batch of blackened chicken, which makes it a helpful addition to quick weeknight dinners and also meal prep sessions.
Make ahead: Over the years, I’ve learned that prepping proteins, like this blackened chicken, ahead of time is a meal prep pro move and it makes it so much easier to meet my daily protein requirements.
Grill it outside or inside: I appreciate that I can use an outdoor grill to make this grill recipe for an easy summer meal. Or, I can easily cook it on a grill pan (or even a cast iron skillet) right on the stovetop inside when I want to enjoy this chicken year round.
Ingredient Spotlights
Here’s what is required to need to make grilled blackened chicken.
- Chicken breasts: I buy organic, humanely raised chicken breasts and cut them into cutlets or pound them to an even thickness. I’ve also made blackened chicken using boneless skinless chicken thighs and it’s excellent
- Spices: In my blackening seasoning, I call for paprika (or smoked paprika), salt, cumin, thyme, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper
- Avocado oil: I prefer this high smoke point oil for rubbing on the chicken breasts and getting the Cajun seasoning to stick. To grease my grill grates or grill pan, I also put some avocado oil on a paper towel and run that onto the grates before grilling to prevent sticking. For a grill pan, avocado oil spray also works (just don’t spray it into an open fire). Canola oil or olive oil also work.
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Equipment Needed
The recipe doesn’t require any special equipment, but here are some things that are helpful:
- Grill: Most often, I cook this chicken on an outdoor gas grill. But it can also be cooked on a grill pan or cast iron skillet on the stovetop.
- Small bowl: This is necessary for mixing together the spice blend.
- Meat mallet: For creating chicken breasts that are even thickness, I first cover it with parchment paper then pound it with a meat mallet. A rolling pin also works well.
How To Make Blackened Chicken
These are the basic steps to make easy blackened chicken breasts at home:
- Make the spice mix: In a bowl, combine the paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, cumin, thyme, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
- Cut the chicken thin: It’s helpful to slice the chicken breasts into thinner pieces known as cutlets to ensure the chicken cooks quickly and evenly. To butterfly the chicken, cut each breast in half lengthwise. If necessary, pound it even thinner (to ½ to ¾-inch thickness) by covering the chicken breast with parchment then pounding with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
- Rub spice mix over chicken: Rub avocado oil over the chicken breasts, then sprinkle the blackening spices all over both sides of the chicken, rubbing it in with your fingers.
- Grill: Cook the chicken on an outdoor grill or on a grill pan (or cast iron pan) over the stovetop until it is cooked through and blackened on the outside. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F as measured on a meat thermometer.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Increase The Heat
It’s easy to make this recipe more or less spicy by controlling the spice level with how much cayenne pepper I add. Either omit the cayenne or use just a pinch (about ⅛ teaspoon) for less spice. Increase it to ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper for more spice.
My Favorite Ways To Serve
Most often, I serve this cooked and chopped blackened chicken over top of my favorite BBQ Ranch chopped salad. It goes so well with all the veggies in that salad plus the BBQ-ranch dressing. It’s also really good served over this strawberry spinach salad and this creamy BBQ chicken salad.
If just serving this grilled blackened chicken on its own, some of my favorite sides to pair with it are cooked broccolini, grilled asparagus, this creamy cucumber salad, and these crispy roasted potatoes. Leftovers are also great as a filling for tacos or tossing with my favorite alfredo sauce and cooked green beans.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover grilled and cooled chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can be eaten cold or reheated in a skillet, air fryer, or microwave. To prevent the chicken from drying out when reheating, add 1-2 tablespoons chicken broth or water to the skillet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grilled chicken is made by cooking chicken on a grill or grill pan, no matter the seasonings. Blackened chicken refers to chicken that has a spice mixture applied on the outside, which gives it a dark look. It is often grilled, but can be cooked by other methods. It’s a popular method in Cajun and Creole cooking.
Yes, you can use this blackened chicken spice mix for chicken thighs or even chicken legs.
Yes, to make it in the air fryer, prep the chicken cutlets by coating them with the spice mix. Preheat an air fryer to 360℉ and air fry the chicken pieces for 15-20 minutes, turning over once. The chicken is done when it registered 165℉ on a meat thermometer.
More Chicken Recipes To Make
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
Blackened Chicken Recipe
This seasoned chicken is an easy way to elevate simple chicken breasts. It’s perfect for serving alongside veggies or over top of a salad, such as this chopped BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad. Can be cooked on an outdoor grill or on a grill pan on the stovetop.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or paprika
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, increase to ¼ teaspoon for more heat
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1–1 ¼ bs), cut in half and pounded to ½ – ¾ inch thick
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil
Instructions
- Preheat an outdoor grill to 400℉ or place a grill pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat.
- In a small bowl, combine the seasonings (smoked paprika through black pepper); stir and set aside.
- If chicken breasts are large and thick, slice them into cutlets by cutting each chicken breast in half crosswise through the middle (butterfly) or cut the breasts in half and place on a cutting board, cover with parchment, and pound with a rolling pin or meat mallet to flatten the chicken to ½ – ¾ inch thickness. Use a paper towel to pat the chicken cutlets dry.
- Brush or rub the chicken with the avocado oil. Then sprinkle the seasoning mixture over both sides of the chicken and use your hands to spread and massage it into each piece until evenly coated.
- Oil the grill grates or grill pan with cooking spray or oil. Cook the seasoned chicken on the hot grill or grill pan until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165℉ and blackened, about 4-7 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest at least 5 minutes before slicing.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 5 ounces cooked chicken
- Calories: 165
- Fat: 3 g
- (Sat Fat: 0 g)
- Sodium: 213 mg
- Carbohydrate: 0 g
- (Fiber: 0 g
- Sugar: 0 g)
- Protein: 34 g
- Cholesterol: 87 mg
Dietary
The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.
For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!
