Blackened Chicken

Name: Blackened Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients: 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness; 2 tbsp paprika; 1 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp dried thyme; 1/2 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 2 tbsp butter; 2 cups bell peppers (red and yellow) and onion, chopped, diced; 3 cups cooked rice (for serving)

Seared chicken breasts with bold Cajun spices, crust-seared in a hot cast-iron skillet. Served over rice with Cajun vegetables for an authentic weeknight dinner.

35 minEasyServes 4340 cal/serving

CajunDinnerStovetopStandardGluten-Free

Ingredients

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness
2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter
2 cups bell peppers (red and yellow) and onion, chopped, diced
3 cups cooked rice (for serving)

Instructions

1

Combine 2 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a small bowl to create the blackening spice blend.
2

Pat 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Rub both sides evenly with the spice blend, coating generously.
3

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes.
4

Add 2 tbsp butter to the skillet and swirl to coat.
5

Place chicken in the skillet and sear without moving for 4-5 minutes until a dark crust forms. Flip and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Transfer to a plate.
6

In the same skillet, add 2 cups diced bell peppers (red and yellow) and onion, chopped and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
7

Serve chicken over 3 cups cooked rice (for serving) with the sautéed vegetables on the side.

Questions

Can I make Blackened Chicken dairy-free?

Yes. The dairy in this entry is 2 tbsp butter. Swap the butter for olive oil where it melts, or a plant-based block butter where it is creamed. The richness shifts slightly, but the method does not change.

How long does Blackened Chicken keep?

Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and eat them within three days. Reheat gently on the stovetop.

Can I halve or double Blackened Chicken?

Yes. As written it serves 4. Every ingredient in this entry carries precomputed half and double quantities, and the app's batch dial rewrites them inside each step. When doubling on the stovetop, use your widest pan or work in two batches so the food sears instead of steaming.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is a plain-text cooking reference of 4,481 recipes, free to read and cook from, with no account and no paywall. In the app, this entry scales itself: half, standard, or double batch, every quantity recomputed inside the step that uses it. No ads, no life stories, no photos of somebody else's dinner.

The entries are curated and public-domain sourced, written to a fixed template and checked against it: tested quantities, one closed vocabulary of methods, and precomputed half and double batches on every line. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser, instantly. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually, and the first 30 days are free.