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Chicken breasts are such tricky proteins. They have such a short shelf life in your fridge, and I don’t really love working with chicken breasts that have been frozen. They end up tough and never taste as good as they do when cooked fresh.
When I find a family pack of chicken breasts on sale for $1.99, I really want to stock up – but I need a way to use it up before it goes bad! I love making the Blackened Chicken recipe from Skinny Taste, and it’s become the answer to my chicken woes.
I like this method of cooking chicken because it seals in the juice and flavor, and storing it in the freezer doesn’t seem to affect the taste or texture. Here’s my version of Blackened Chicken, along with how I use this recipe to help myself save both time and money in the kitchen!
Blackened Chicken
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- olive oil spray
Preheat the oven to 350. Place your cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, heat a large skillet on the stove to medium high heat.
Combine all the seasonings in a small bowl. Slice the chicken breasts into filets of similar thickness. Lay the chicken on a cutting board or plate. Coat both sides with olive oil spray, and then a layer of the seasoning. Pat the seasoning onto the chicken so that it sticks.
Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with foil. Place the cast iron skillet on the stove top, maintaining a high heat. Sear the chicken in the skillet for one minute on each side and then transfer it to the baking sheet. Allow the chicken to finish cooking in the oven until it reaches 165 degrees (use your thermometer), 8-10 minutes.
Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing or serving.
Using these for freezer meals / meal prep:
Allow the chicken to cool completely. You can leave the filets whole or slice them, however you prefer. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes (flash freezing).
Once they’re frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. To use in recipes, pull whatever you need from the freezer and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight. The chicken will still be juicy and tender!
Recipes that work well with this chicken:
It’s definitely delicious on its own, served with whatever dipping sauce your family likes. Steamed veggies and a baked potato would be perfect to round out this meal.
However, it’s a little more cost effective to make your protein a component of the meal instead of the star. Here are a few of my favorite meals using Blackened Chicken.
- Chicken Alfredo
- Blackened Chicken Tacos (pictured above)
- Blackened Chicken Salads like the original one from Skinny Taste
- Cheesy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
- Chicken Caesar French Bread Pizzas
- Chicken Quesadillas: prep quesadillas (tortilla + chicken + cheese) and freeze them individually, wrapped in foil and stored in freezer bags. These are perfect to pull out in the morning to defrost in the fridge. 10 minutes in the toaster oven and you have a quick and delicious lunch.
You’ll have to let me know if you try this recipe! My family loves it and I hope yours does too.
