Blackened Chicken Breasts
Blackening is a technique that should live in the repertoire of every home cook. With a heavy- bottomed skillet and a Cajun-style spice blend, you can take proteins like shrimp, fish, scallops and the chicken breasts in this recipe and flip them into something flavorful, delicious and juicy. Most grocery store chicken breasts are large, so slicing the chicken in half horizontally ensures they cook quickly and more evenly. Blackened chicken can stand alone as a main or it can sit atop a large, leafy salad with Caesar dressing or a creamy, Cajun pasta. When cooking this recipe, be aware of the inevitable smokiness that comes with searing at such high heat. Consider opening a window and turning the overhead fan on before getting started — nothing upends the cooking process quite like smoke alarms. Store any leftover chicken in the fridge for up to three days and upgrade your breakfast or lunch (think western-style omelets, breakfast burritos and chicken salad).
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