This blackened chicken recipe involves 3 ingredients and just 12 minutes of prep to finished dish time.  The tasty homemade blackening spice seals in the juicy flavors of the chicken for the perfect weeknight meal made in just minutes!

I love a quick and easy meal for those hectic weeknights.  I love one even better when it’s on the cheap. This gluten-free blackened chicken recipe packs a punch of flavor without trying very hard at all. Seriously y’all, it’s that awesome.  

If you have been reading along for any length of time, you already know that I like my food spicy, so I go a little heavy on the cayenne pepper and the crushed red pepper flakes that I put in my blackening spice mix but you don’t have to.

Best Blackened Chicken Recipe:

Why is this the best recipe blackened chicken recipe?  Let me explain…

• 3 ingredients
• 10 minutes
• simple ingredients
• blackening spice you can make at home!

 

Flavors of the blackened chicken:

You can make this as spicy or as tame as you would like, the recipe turns out delicious either way and on or in almost any meat option that you can think of.

In fact, tomorrow I am building on this gluten-free blackened flounder, and putting it on top of a jalapeno and bacon spaghetti squash medley that I highly recommend trying out!  

The blackening spice on the outside helps create a very juicy tender inside of the chicken.  The chicken seems to lock in its juices ten times better with this seasoning along it’s outer edges.

The blackening Spice itself is quite fantastic!  Its base ingredients are comprised of paprika, garlic, and onion powder.  Then there’s a pinch of thyme, basil, and oregano, and just a dusting of cayenne pepper and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes.

Because of the hints of spice in the blackening seasoning, I really really REALLY love that this blackened chicken recipe is cooked in coconut oil!  The soft sweetness of the coconut oil combined with the touches of spice in the seasoned outsides of each piece of chicken make it a deadly delicious combination.  The perfect combination.

 

The homemade blackening spice:

I make my own easy blackening spice blend.  It’s incredibly simple to make and only takes a few seconds to whip up and have in your pantry’s arsenal of delicious ingredients.  I keep extra blackening spice that I don’t use up in recipes in a ziploc bag in my spice cabinet.  It will stay good for a while if it’s airtight.

How much blackening spice to use depends on how much flavor you want on your chicken.  I typically use about 1/2 tsp on each side of the breasts.

Blackened Chicken Recipe:

You only need a few very simple ingredients to make this dish happen!  You will need:

• Chicken breasts.  Slice them in half hamburger-style, if very thick
• 3 TBSP coconut oil.  I don’t recommend olive oil due to the high heat of the skillet
• Blackening spice.  I HIGHLY recommend my homemade Blackening Spice that I always make sure to have on hand.  It’s actually a fantastic substitute for taco and fajita seasoning when you are short and want a little kick to your mexican dishes!

How to Make Blackened Chicken?

• Heat.  Preheat your broiler to high broil. Heat your oil in a broil-safe oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add Spice.  Rub your blackening spice over the top and bottom of each chicken breast and then place each breast in the heated skillet’s oil, flat side down for 3-4 minutes.
• Broil.  Place your skillet with the spiced chicken into the broiler and broil on high for 6-7 minutes, or until your chicken is completely cooked through (at least 165*F in the center of each breast).
• Serve it up.  Remove the hot from the oven and allow it to cool for 2-5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

 

How to make this Blackened Chicken Recipe all fancy:

• Sprinkle on some blue cheese crumbles.
• Add in some of your favorite chopped nuts while your chicken is cooking.
• Spread some fresh herbs like parsley overtop each cooked chicken breast piece after it has efficiently cooled so as to not wilt the parsley leaves right away.
• Cut a juicy lime and spritz a tiny splash of fresh lime juice over the top of your seasoned chicken breasts while still sizzling to lock in that bit of zesty flavor.  I recommend keeping the squeezed lime pieces and place them on top of the chicken for a fancy look!

 

Gluten-Free Blackened Chicken pairs well with:

This blackened chicken recipe plays well with so many things!

• Parmesan Quinoa
• Teriyaki Green Beans
• Greek Yogurt Twice Baked Potatoes
• Simple Caprese Risotto
• Roasted Sweet Potato Brussel Sprout Hash
• Sriracha Mayo Cream Broccoli
• Bacon Walnut Brussel Sprouts
• Easy Bleu Cheese Green Beans