Blackened Chicken Skillet
A dark spice crust on thin chicken cutlets, cooked over coals in one cast iron pan.
- calories
- 330
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 47
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Boneless skinless chicken breasts | 4 (about 1.5 lb) | pound or slice thin so they cook through fast |
|---|---|---|
| Extra virgin olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Paprika | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Ground cumin | 1 tsp | |
| Chili powder | 1 tsp | cayenne if you want it hotter |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
| Lime juice | 1 lime, juiced | |
| Cilantro | a small handful, chopped | |
| Lime wedges | 1 lime, cut in wedges |
Method
- Burn the fire down to a bed of coals. Flames scorch the spices before the middle of the meat is done. Set the skillet on the grate to preheat.
- Rub the chicken with the oil, then coat both sides with the premixed spices. Press it in.
- Lay the pieces in the hot dry skillet. Leave them alone for 5 to 6 minutes so a crust forms.
- Flip once and cook another 5 to 7 minutes. Thin cutlets go fast. Cut into the thickest piece and check it runs clear, or read 165F on a thermometer.
- Pull the pan off the coals, squeeze the lime over everything, and scatter the cilantro.
Blackening is a dry-heat trick: oil goes on the meat, not the pan, and the spices scorch against hot iron into a crust. Coals matter more than the recipe. An open flame runs too hot and turns paprika bitter before the inside is safe to eat, so wait for the fire to settle.
Thin cutlets are the other half of it. A thick breast forces you to choose between a burnt crust and raw center. Pounded or split thin, the whole thing cooks in about twelve minutes. The lime at the end is not decoration — the acid cuts the fat and the salt load, and it goes on after the pan leaves the heat so it doesn’t just steam off.
Packing
Mix the spices at home into one small jar so you carry one container instead of six. Chicken travels frozen flat in a zip bag at the bottom of the cooler and thaws by dinner. Oil goes in a leakproof bottle.
Variations
- Cut the chicken into cubes before seasoning and fold it into tortillas with the lime.
- The same spice mix works on firm white fish, but cut the cook time in half.
- No cooler? Use two foil pouches of chicken, warm them in the oiled skillet with the spices, and skip the crust.
https://campfirefoodie.com/blackened-chicken-skillet-recipe