Blackened Chicken with Pico de Gallo
Blackened chicken with pico de gallo is juicy chicken seared in a hot skillet with a bold spice rub, then topped with cold, fresh homemade salsa. Ready in 22 minutes.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 311kcal
Equipment
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.
Notes
- Heat the skillet for a full five minutes on high before the chicken goes in. If the pan is not hot enough, the spice rub steams instead of sears.
- Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness so they cook at the same rate in the oven.
- Do not overcrowd the pan. If your skillet is too small, sear the chicken in batches so the pan temperature does not drop.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat gently so the chicken does not dry out.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 48g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 453mg | Potassium: 857mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 598IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
