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This tender, juicy, and flavor-packed blackened chicken recipe comes together in just 20 minutes for a weeknight dinner to get excited about.
Get ready for a trip to New Orleans without having to leave your own kitchen. This restaurant-quality blackened chicken recipe brings full-on Cajun/Creole flavor to add some zest to your normal dinner routine.
This easy 20-minute chicken dinner results in some of the best – most tender, juicy, and flavorful – chicken you can whip up on a weeknight! We use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but you can easily swap them out for boneless, skinless chicken breasts if that’s your preference or if that’s what you have on hand. With a simple two-step cooking method and a well-balanced blackened seasoning, you can’t go wrong.
Don’t be worried about the spicy-heat level here. We only use a touch of cayenne pepper, and you can reduce it even more if you like. This is a meal that the whole family loves, kids included.
Also, it’s perfect for a romantic dinner for two at home for Valentine’s Day or date night. This supper looks and tastes impressive, but really couldn’t be easier to make. If you can season chicken and sear it in a skillet, you got this.
And this recipe is a great option if you’re a beginner cook but want to make a beautiful meal for your sweetheart. Because the meat is intentionally blackened, you have some leeway. If you accidentally overcook it a little bit, no one will ever know!
What is Blackened Seasoning?
Blackened seasoning (or blackening seasoning) is a savory blend of spices and herbs that’s generously applied to the outside of chicken, red meat, or seafood, similar to a dry rub.
After that, the seasoned item is seared in an extremely hot skillet. This browns the outside of the meat and “blackens” the spices, which form a crust. Then depending on what you’re blackening, it’s transferred to the oven to finish cooking.
Feel free to get creative here; you can use blackened seasoning on just about anything.
Here are a few ideas:
- Added to oven-roasted French fries, or duck fat potatoes
- On roasted or steamed broccoli or cauliflower
- Added to the ground meat mixture when you make homemade burgers (try it on smash burgers!)
- As a rub for grilled steak, chicken, or chicken wings
- To jazz up steamed rice or Alfredo pasta
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Chicken thighs. Dark meat chicken stands up well to a screaming hot sear and results in the most tender, juicy, and moist chicken!
- Blackening seasoning. This is a blend of savory spices and herbs with a touch of sweet heat and a hint of smokiness. It hits all the right notes and packs a punch of flavor without being overly spicy-hot.
- An easy two-step cooking method. We start by searing the chicken in a hot cast-iron skillet on the stovetop to seal in moisture and blacken the outside. After that, we transfer the whole thing to a hot oven to finish cooking.
- Affordable restaurant-quality at home. This economical meal uses budget-friendly chicken thighs! But it’s impressive enough for entertaining with, or for surprising your signifiant other with a dinner that feels special.
Ingredients
The interesting thing about blackened seasoning is that it’s pretty much a marriage of two other spice blends originating in Louisiana: Cajun seasoning and Creole seasoning. Cajun seasoning is known for being on the spicier side, while Creole seasoning is typically more herby.
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
- Sweet paprika – A common ingredient in Cajun seasoning, sweet paprika adds subtle sweet, earthy, fruity flavor notes here.
- Salt – Salt is optional here, but helps bring out the flavors of the other spices and the meat you’re seasoning. You can omit the salt, or adjust it down for a low-sodium spice mix.
- Onion powder and garlic powder – These are found in both Cajun and Creole seasonings, and they’re traditionally added to blackening seasoning as well.
- Thyme and oregano – Frequently found in Creole seasoning, these add aromatic herby flavor here.
- Cumin – This spice is optional here; it adds even more depth with an earthy, smoky flavor.
- Black pepper – Adds a piquant bite.
- Smoked paprika – Adds smoky notes.
- Cayenne pepper – Cayenne pepper adds spicy heat. You can add more or less based on your preferences.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – Leave them whole and trim off the excess fat. Or you can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead.
- Avocado oil – Or you can use another mild or neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable oil. Ghee is also a good option, and will add a rich buttery, nutty flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions: How to Make Blackened Chicken
Here are step-by-step photos to guide you through the process of making this recipe. For the recipe video, please see the recipe card below.
- Add all spices to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Season the chicken on both sides with the spice mixture.
- Heat a medium-large cast-iron skillet over high heat until it’s very hot. Once hot, add the oil, and then carefully add the chicken in a single layer. Cook until blackened on both sides, about 1 minute per side, flipping once.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking the chicken, about 8 to 10 minutes more in a preheated 400F oven. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165F on an instant-read thermometer when it’s fully cooked.
Storage
Once it’s cooled to room temperature, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating
You can reheat this in the microwave, stovetop, or oven.
For the microwave method, put the chicken on a microwave-safe plate, cover it with a damp paper towel, microwave it for 90 seconds, and then check it. If necessary, microwave in additional 30-second intervals until it’s warm throughout.
To reheat this on the stovetop, heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Once the skillet is hot, add a drizzle of oil, and add then the chicken and a splash of water or broth. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until warm throughout, about 5 to 10 minutes, adding a splash more liquid if necessary.
And to re-warm it in the oven, preheat the oven to 350F. Put the chicken in an oven-safe dish, add a splash of water or broth, and cover the dish with foil. Bake until heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Pro Tip For the Most Juicy, Moist Meat
Once the chicken is out of the oven, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before thinly slicing so it stays juicy, moist, and flavorful.
How to Serve Blackened Chicken
This chicken main course pairs really well with any number of side dishes. Here I served it with homemade Rice a Roni, garnished with fresh cherry tomatoes and parsley.
Here are a few other ways to serve blackened chicken:
- Make it into tacos with pico de gallo and queso fresco.
- Turn it into the star of a salad with leafy greens, charred corn, cherry tomatoes, and any other veggies you like.
- Serve it on a bed of pasta, such as fettuccine Alfredo or homemade mac and cheese.
Tips For the Best Blackened Chicken
- Don’t shy away from this recipe if you’re not a fan of spicy hot foods! Cajun cuisine is indeed known for being spicy, but you can easily adjust the heat level here by adding more or less cayenne pepper.
- You don’t have to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs here. You can use whatever cut of chicken you have on hand. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or even bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or thighs. If you’re using chicken with the bone, make sure to increase the oven time accordingly so it’s fully cooked.
- This recipe works well for meal prep! It freezes and reheats great, and pairs well with just about any side dishes you’re batch-cooking. If you want to switch up your normal meal prep dinner routine, this is a good recipe to do so.
Frequently Asked Questions
The blackening technique in cooking is credited to Paul Prudhomme in the 1980’s. Paul was an American celebrity chef who specialized in Cajun and Creole cuisines. He was also the chef-proprietor of the restaurant K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans. You can read more about him on Wikipedia.
Yes! Use the same amount of boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs, and follow the same process. Start checking for doneness in the oven a couple minutes earlier.
You can think of this spice mix as any other dry rub. Simply rub it on raw chicken, steak, shrimp, fish, etc. and it should stick fine.
The traditional blackened recipe calls for first brushing raw fish with butter before sprinkling on the blackening seasoning. However, I find that this step is optional because the spices stick well directly on raw fish, chicken, and steak. But I can imagine that the butter adds richness and depth of flavor, so feel free to try it that way!
Blackened chicken and charred chicken both walk the fine line between blackened-but-not-burned. And even though the two might look similar, blackened chicken and charred chicken are not the same thing.
Charred food or charbroiled food often has a blackened appearance, typically caused by cooking it on a grill or over an open flame. On the other hand, blackened food is seasoned with a specific spice blend and cooked over high heat to blacken it.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas
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Blackened Chicken Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper add more or less to taste
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs excess fat trimmed off
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil or another mild or neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable oil
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400F. Get out a medium-large cast-iron skillet.
- Make the blackening spice mix. Add all spices to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Season the chicken. Season the chicken on both sides with the spice mixture.
- Sear the chicken. Heat the cast-iron skillet over high heat until it’s very hot. Once hot, add the oil, and then carefully add the chicken in a single layer. Cook until blackened on both sides, about 1 minute per side, flipping once.
- Finish in the oven. Transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking the chicken, about 8 to 10 minutes more. The chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165F on an instant-read thermometer when it’s fully cooked.
- Let it rest. Once the chicken is out of the oven, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes before thinly slicing.
Video
Notes
- Serving Suggestion: In these photos, the chicken is served with homemade Rice a Roni and garnished with cherry tomatoes and parsley.
- Storage: Once it’s cooled to room temperature, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- For the microwave method, put the chicken on a microwave-safe plate, cover it with a damp paper towel, microwave it for 90 seconds, and then check it. If necessary, microwave in additional 30-second intervals until it’s warm throughout.
- To reheat this on the stovetop, heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Once the skillet is hot, add a drizzle of oil, and add then the chicken and a splash of water or broth. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until warm throughout, about 5 to 10 minutes, adding a splash more liquid if necessary.
- And to re-warm it in the oven, preheat the oven to 350F. Put the chicken in an oven-safe dish, add a splash of water or broth, and cover the dish with foil. Bake until heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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