Louisiana Style Blackened Chicken
Ingredients
4 teaspoons sweet paprika
4 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon fine salt
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
OR
~4 Tbsp of blackened seasoning blend (we like this one from Thrive Market or this one from Amazon)
AND
4 (8-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 to 3 tablespoons avocado oil
How to Cook
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix all the blackening spices together.
- Prep the chicken. Cut each chicken breast in half (horizontally) and flatten chicken by pounding it to about 1/2 inch in thickness.
- Toss all chicken and spices into a large freezer bag. Shake and massage until all chicken pieces are coated with seasoning.
- Heat a large frying pan over high heat until very hot. Add the oil and fry chicken fillets on each side.
- You want the chicken to get a nice sear so make sure to not layer chicken on top of each other as this will prevent that beautiful, crispy finish that you're going for.
- When the chicken is well seared (about 3-4 minutes per side), place on a roasting tray and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let rest for about a few minutes before slicing and serving.
Tips & Tricks
- Coat the chicken generously with the spice mix. Use all of the spice blend—don’t be shy! You shouldn’t have any left over.
- Wipe out the frying pan between batches—depending on the size of your pan, you will be cooking in 2-3 batches. Use a paper towel to wipe out the skillet between batches so that any spice residue left behind doesn’t burn.
- Pound the chicken for even cooking— chicken breasts are usually quite thick which prevents them from cooking evenly or quickly in a skillet. This is why our recipe has you cut the chicken breasts in half, then pound them to an even thickness. Yes – it is a little more work on the front end, but the result is chicken that cooks extremely quickly and stays juicy.
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