Deliciously moist blackened chicken served with fresh and homemade pico de gallo.
Flavorful Blackened Chicken
I absolutely love blackened chicken and it's so easy to make at home! I really enjoy serving it with fresh pico de gallo because it balances the heat and compliments the spices of the chicken.
Pico de Gallo
Each serving of chicken is topped with fresh pico de gallo. It's tastes amazing topped on the blackened chicken and it's great to serve with a side of tortilla chips.
Pico de gallo is best served fresh and it's so incredibly easy to make pico de gallo from scratch. It's also best to make from scratch as well because the veggies are crisp and flavorful.
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Searing the Chicken
You don't need a cast-iron skillet to make this chicken, but you can use one if you have it! You can simply use a skillet that has a heavy bottom on it and can withstand high heat on the stovetop.
To make the chicken, it's important to sear the skillet over high heat for about 5 minutes before adding the chicken. After dry rubbing the chicken with the spices, add the pieces of chicken to the skillet and sear on each side for 30 seconds. This allows the flavors of the chicken to lock in and it also gives the chicken the crisp blackened chicken flavor and texture.
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Once the chicken has been seared on all sides, place it on a lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 12 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to rest.
Top the chicken with the fresh pico de gallo and serve with rice or tortilla chips.
📖 Recipe
Blackened Chicken with Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts - boneless, skinless
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 tablespoon butter
- Pico de Gallo
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F
- Pound chicken breasts if need to thin them.
- In a small bowl, add together the paprika, salt, cayenne, dried thyme, white pepper, and onion powder. Set aside.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or a thick-bottomed skillet on the stove on high heat. Let it heat for about 5 minutes.
- Melt 2 tablespoon of butter and dip each side of the chicken breasts into the butter and cover well.
- Sprinkle the spices on both sides of the chicken breasts.
- Once the skillet is hot, sear each side of the chicken breasts for 30 seconds.
- Lay the seared chicken breasts on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 12 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the Pico de Gallo according to directions.
- After the chicken breasts are done cooking, take them out of the oven and cover with aluminum foil to keep the moisture in. Allow about 5 minutes.
- Top with fresh pico de gallo and serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
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Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
