Cajun Blackened Chicken or Fish

Bring this Cajun classic home. Prepare moist and spicy home grilled blackened chicken resplendent with full-bodied flavor.

Ingredients

• fillets chicken breast or fillets of a firm-fleshed fish such as ling  ·  2 
• Butter  ·  2 tablespoons 
• Herbie’s Cajun Spice Mix  ·  4 tablespoons 

Instructions

Blackening is a cooking technique used in the preparation of fish and other foods.

Often associated with Cajun cuisine, the food is dipped in melted butter and then dredged in a mixture of herbs and spices. It is then cooked in a very hot cast-iron skillet.

The characteristic brown-black color of the crust results from a combination of browned milk solids from the butter and charred spices.

Sprinkle the Cajun spice mix over both sides of the fillets, patting on firmly so that they are well coated.

Heat the butter in a heavy-based pan – it needs to be hot, as the burning butter is part of the coloring and flavoring effect of Cajun.

Cook the meat over moderate heat until done and serve immediately.

Grill or Barbecue.

Heat outside grill to preheat, closing the lid and allowing the grill to become as hot as possible.

Place chicken in a shallow baking dish, and pour melted butter over the chicken, rubbing to coat well. Sprinkle spice mixture generously over chicken, ensuring all sides are well coated. View the full recipe below.

Place chicken on hot grill, then turn the heat immediately down to the lowest setting possible.

Allow to cook for 5-6 minutes. Flip chicken, allowing it to grill on the other side until cooked through.

Chef Tommy's Tips:

• Use a heavy cast-iron skillet. (Do not use a non-stick pan). The pan is heated up until it is white hot – too hot for non-stick, aluminum and other pans. Grilling offers the perfect alternative to making incredible blackened chicken at home.
• Ventilate your kitchen and open windows. Blackening is a smoky process (make sure your smoke detector doesn’t trigger). Or better yet, if you have an outdoor grill with a burner, we recommend using it.
• Finish your chicken in the oven to cook it through. Don’t worry, the blackened crust seals in the natural juices.
• Use real butter. Margarine may be cheaper, but it doesn’t blacken the way that pure butter does, with it’s real milk solids.
• Heat the heck out of your grill until its time to slap that spiced chicken onto the grate. At this point, turn the heat down until it’s nearly touching the lowest setting possible, then close your grill cover. This step is vital in causing that great charred look and flavor to seep over the outside of your chicken, while still maintaining a moist and spicy meat.