This great classic grilled blackened chicken breast is bursting with a spicy flavor that you will love. Just follow the easy step by step photo instructions.
Editor’s Note: Originally published August 9, 2010. Updated with expanded discussion and updated photos.
You can never have enough great chicken recipes. Kick it up some with this tasty blackened chicken breasts cooked on your grill.
And by making your seasoning, you can adjust the heat to your taste. Also, we can do a quick brine for moisture. To do the brine, you need to not have salt in the seasoning. Not possible if you buy your seasoning.
The original recipe was an oven based recipe from allrecipes.com. I used the seasoning with some changes and converted to grilling with my standard chicken breast recipe.
My Rating:
A nice solid higher 4. It could be a lower 5 for many.
Pro Tips: Recipe Notes for Grilled Blackened Chicken Breasts
The Blackening Seasoning
The original seasoning needed a touch of garlic, and I added that. And a touch more salt.
The heat here is about 4/10 so adjust the cayenne to your taste.
The white pepper is a very nice different taste. It is thought to be the main secret ingredient of KFC. Use black pepper if you want or don’t have white pepper.
If you brine the chicken, you must leave the salt out of the seasoning.
The Chicken Breast
It is easier to cook chicken that is about the same size and thickness. So try to even it out when you pick your chicken.
If you get these really plump chicken breasts, flatten them a little with a meat mallet or bottom of a pan.
The Brine
Like all grilled chicken breast, this can dry some if you’re not careful. A simple brine of 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons table salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar for 20 to 60 minutes help keep them moist.
The recommended brine that is relatively heavy in salt. According to Cooks Illustrated, this concentration of brine is recommended for chicken for 30 minutes to 2 hours. I find the chicken gets saltier if over 1 hour so I’m suggesting 1-hour max with this mixture Actually, 20 minutes will do a fairly good job of brining the chicken breasts.
While I no longer recommend rinsing chicken usually, you should always rinse carefully after brining to eliminate the surface salt.
You can grill skinless boneless chicken breasts and keep it moist without the brine, but it requires attention and skill. Skip the brine at your own risk.
The Grill
Grill temperature is extremely important in our keep the chicken moist. For any chicken, you can not “sock the heat to it.” The outside will be burnt before the center is safe to eat.
I like to cook all chicken with a grill surface temperature of about 450 degrees, give a take a little. This is medium on my current grill, which is a “hot” grill. It is medium-high on most gas grills. Please see my guide A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill and get it right. If you don’t get this right, you will not be successful with this recipe.
Suggested Sauce
I liked the taste of Alabama White BBQ sauce with the blackened chicken. A great mayonnaise-based sauce from Big Bob Gibson’s of Alabama.
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Clean and oil the grill. Preheat grill to a surface temperature of about 450 degrees which is medium-high on most grills. You must get the surface temperature correct.
Trim breasts well. You can brine if you wish but then skip the salt in the rub.
Mix rub: 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/8 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper. You may adjust the cayenne to taste and use black pepper if you want.
Rub the dry mix on breast front and back. You only have 2 teaspoons so a light coat.
Grill over direct heat with the grill lid closed for 5 minutes then flip every 5 minutes until internal temp is 165. About 25-30 minutes.
Lightly tent for 5 minutes before serving.
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Grilled Blackened Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
Blackening Seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper - adjust to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper - use black pepper if you want
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Clean and oil the grill. Preheat grill to a surface temperature of about 450 degrees which is medium-high on most grills. You must get the surface temperature correct.
- Trim breasts well. You can brine if you wish but then skip the salt in the rub. A simple brine of 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons table salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar for 20 to 60 minutes help keep them moist.
- 4Mix rub 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/8 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper. You may adjust the cayenne to taste and use black pepper if you want.
- Rub the dry mix on breast front and back. You only have 2 teaspoons so a light coat.
- Grill over direct heat with the grill lid closed for 5 minutes then flip every 5 minutes until internal temp is 165. About 25-30 minutes.
- Lightly tent for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- Scale to your needs. This is cooking for two, so I have two chicken breasts.
- Like all grilled chicken breast, this can dry some if you're not careful. A simple brine of 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons table salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar for 20 to 60 minutes help keep them moist.
- If you brine, rinse the salt off carefully and add no salt in the seasoning.
- The seasoning only makes about 2 teaspoons, so only a light coating.
- Try to use chicken breasts that are about the same size and thickness. If you get those very thick breasts, use a meat mallet or bottom of a pan to flatten them out a little to about 3.4 inches.
- The seasoning is about 4/10 hot. Adjust the cayenne to your taste.
- Grill surface temperature is very important for cooking any chicken. Please use a grill surface thermometer to get a temperature of 450. See A Beginners Guide to Grill Temperature on a Gas Grill.
- The safe final temperature is 165. Less is unsafe and more will start drying.
- Be sure to let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.
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Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.
All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
Originally published on August 9, 2010.
David
This recipe was fantastic…perfect blackened crust
Merut
I’m always looking for new variations on grilled chicken. Thanks for the seasoning idea.
Dr Dan
It seems impossible to weed the darn thing and it just grows and grows. Just more fun to be had.
Chris
I know your feelings, my “to try” queue is about 1 light year long.