Blackened chicken

[VikingWarlord]

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper

Sprinkle liberally onto both sides of chicken breasts. Broil the chicken for 7-8 minutes per side. It also grills well if you like that instead.

I will either eat these with steamed broccoli or something on the side or cut into strips and toss in a salad. I like using Dole Mediterranean salad mix with cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, and fresh jalapenos with Italian dressing or a vinaigrette. Use whatever you feel like.

[Oak_strikeback]

MY own variation of blackened chicken is a little different.

2 tsp cajun
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp salt/pepper mix

Flatten the breast with palm and liberally apply mixture to breast, if its not adequately covered then I add more cajun. Then I sear over high heat until all pink is gone from chicken. Usually I am cooking it over a direct flame or in a little oil on a very hot frying pan (I prefer the grill). Do not cook in the flame long enough that it burns, just until the pink is gone.

[VikingWarlord]

The cajun seasoning is usually just paprika, black, red, white pepper, garlic powder, and MSG...same thing really, minus the extra preservatives.

If you're going to do it like that on a stove top, do yourself a favor and use a cast iron skillet with really high heat. This is the more traditional style and adds some extra calories from the oil. DO NOT use olive oil on high heat because it WILL burn. Use vegetable oil instead.

[manowar669]

I just use the Phillips brand blackening seasoning (in the square black can). I like that a lot.

[Oak_strikeback]

The cajun seasoning is usually just paprika, black, red, white pepper, garlic powder, and MSG...same thing really, minus the extra preservatives.

If you're going to do it like that on a stove top, do yourself a favor and use a cast iron skillet with really high heat. This is the more traditional style and adds some extra calories from the oil. DO NOT use olive oil on high heat because it WILL burn. Use vegetable oil instead.

Personally, I don't like using cast iron skillets. First of all, they are a pain to properly clean. Secondly, if you don't clean them properly, then you get to enjoy a bit of the last meal with your current one, the joys of conflicting flavours.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the belief that Olive Oil did not burn until it reached approx. 550 Fehrenheit, I can't imagine too many people at home cooking at temperatures that high. Personally, I only make blackened chicken at work, on the grill which reaches 900 degrees and does not require any oil at all, except a minute amount to grease up the grill itself.

[manowar669]

Cook in coconut oil or butter, saturated fats won't become trans-fat when heated, vegetable oils will. Throw away canola oil. Use olive oil cold.

[VikingWarlord]

Personally, I don't like using cast iron skillets. First of all, they are a pain to properly clean. Secondly, if you don't clean them properly, then you get to enjoy a bit of the last meal with your current one, the joys of conflicting flavours.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the belief that Olive Oil did not burn until it reached approx. 550 Fehrenheit, I can't imagine too many people at home cooking at temperatures that high. Personally, I only make blackened chicken at work, on the grill which reaches 900 degrees and does not require any oil at all, except a minute amount to grease up the grill itself.

If your cast iron skillet is properly seasoned, it's nonstick by its nature and thus a snap to clean. Mine is perfectly clean using hot water and a dishcloth, no real scrubbing involved. If you're having problems with it, it's not properly seasoned.

Second of all, 550 degrees is the point at which it will flame up. It has a much, MUCH lower smoke point and if you hit that smoke point, you'll see what I mean by burned. Frankly, it tastes like ****.

Your last point is why I suggested broiling or grilling it.

Cook in coconut oil or butter, saturated fats won't become trans-fat when heated, vegetable oils will. Throw away canola oil. Use olive oil cold.

Incorrect. This is a myth. It's true that they get damaged by high heat, but there has never been any conclusive proof that says they turn into trans fats, since trans fats are hydrogenated.

From: http://www.oliveoilsource.com/cooking_olive_oil.htm

As far as making a saturated fat, according to Dr. A. Kiritsakis, a world renowned oil chemist in Athens, (Book - OLIVE OIL FROM THE TREE TO THE TABLE -Second edition 1998), all oils will oxidize and hydrogenate to a tiny degree if repeatedly heated to very high temperatures such as is done in commercial frying operations. Olive pomace oil and virgin olive oil are both highly monounsaturated oils and therefore resistant to oxidation and hydrogenation. Studies have shown oxidation and hydrogenation occurs to a lesser degree in olive oil than in other oils. But in any case, the amount of hydrogenation is miniscule and no home cook would ever experience this problem.

The large refinery-like factories which take unsaturated vegetable oil and turn it into margarine or vegetable lard do so by bubbling hydrogen gas through 250 to 400 degree hot vegetable oil in the presence of a metal catalyst, usually nickel or platinum. The process can take several hours. You cannot make a saturated product like margarine at home by heating olive oil or any other vegetable oil in a pan. We don't know where this weird notion has come from.

Changing a cis-fat to a trans-fat does not occur on a home stove.

If you want to know the chemistry of olive oil, check this: http://www.oliveoilsource.com/olivechemistry.htm

[WBBIRL]

Viking speaks the truth

btw you never really "clean" a cast iron skillet... you wipe it out.

[jpw204]

Olive Oil is never traditionally used for high-heat baking due do it's very low smoke-point.

Also, just to clarify. When Viking says "seasoned", he literally means the remnants (oils) of past-cooked dishes left on the actual pan. Alternatively, you can purchase pre-seasoned cast-iron skillets, for an additional cost.