Blackened Chicken Bites
Blackened chicken bites feature tender pieces of chicken tossed in a homemade Cajun seasoning for a main dish your family will love! Serve them with a side of rice and veggies for a quick, complete meal that can be on your table in under 30 minutes.
As we get into the school year, I love nothing more than quick family friendly meals.
Wait, scratch that.
I love that all the time no matter what time of year!
And these blackened chicken bites are exactly that.
The chicken cooks fairly quickly and requires minimal prep.
But because it’s coated in a homemade Cajun seasoning the flavor is anything but minimal!
We’re talking zesty Cajun flavor we can’t get enough of.
What is blackening?
You’ve probably heard of this term before but may not really know what it means.
Blackening is a popular style of cooking fish and chicken in Cajun cuisine.
To blacken food, the food is normally coated in a spice blend that has garlic, chili powder, thyme, oregano, and other spices.
Then it gets cooked in a screaming hot cast iron pan.
The high temperatures and spices turn the outside of the food a smoky black color.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Chicken– Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Trim the excess fat of the chicken and cut them into 1″ pieces.
- Flour– To give the chicken a light crispy coating.
- Spices– Smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, oregano, ground thyme, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper
- Oil– Extra virgin olive oil
How to Make
Making these blackened chicken bites is pretty quick and easy!
To do it, whisk all of the seasonings and the flour together in a small mixing bowl until evenly combined.
Then, add the prepared chicken pieces to a large ziplocking bag and pour in the spice mix.
Seal the bag to close and then shake it, making sure all of the chicken pieces are evenly coated in the spice mixture.
Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium high heat.
Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add the seasoned chicken to the skillet.
Cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes, stirring to break it apart and make sure it’s coated in the oil.
Keep stirring the chicken every few minutes.
Once the chicken’s nicely browned on the outside and cooked through, remove the skillet from heat.
Serve warm and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
We love serving this with rice and a side salad or steamed veggie.
It’s also a delicious to serve over a pile of fettucine alfredo!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- Depending on the size of your skillet, you may want to cook the chicken in batches. Blackened recipes rely on a good sear, which means not overcrowding the pan.
- Blackened chicken needs time to develop a crispy seared crust on all sides, so while you should stir the chicken only do so every few minutes.
- Don’t want the dish spicy? Omit the cayenne pepper.
Other Easy Chicken Recipes
Blackened chicken bites are lightly crispy pieces of Cajun style chicken we love.
Make them and jazz up your dinner tonight!
Looking for other easy chicken recipes?
Try these:
- One Pot Chicken & Rice With Vegetables
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole
- Slow Cooker Sour Cream & Onion Chicken
If you’ve tried these BLACKENED CHICKEN BITES or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Blackened Chicken Bites
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts trimmed of fat, and chopped into roughly 1" pieces
- 1 1/2 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion power
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper optional
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Add all of the seasonings to a small mixing bowl, then whisk them together until evenly combined.1 1/2 tbsp flour, 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion power, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp ground thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Add the prepared chicken pieces to a large ziplocking bag, and pour in the spice mix. Seal the bag to close, then shake- turning the bag and moving the chicken pieces as necessary- until all are evenly coated in the spice mixture.2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Add the oil to a large skillet set over medium high heat. Once hot (shimmery) add the seasoned chicken to the skillet, stirring to break apart and coating in the oil.2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Once the chicken's nicely browned and crisped on the outside, and cooked through, remove the skillet from heat.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Depending on the size of your skillet, you may want to cook the chicken in batches. Blackened recipes rely on a good sear, which means not overcrowding the pan.
- Blackened chicken needs time to develop a crispy seared crust on all sides, so while you should stir the chicken only do so every few minutes.
- Don't want the dish spicy? Omit the cayenne pepper.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Emily Bites
