Blackened Seasoning - and Blackened Chicken

Craving fajitas, but don`t have a lot of time to make a marinade, or do you just want them now? Are you craving something with a Mexican flavor, but don`t want to go all out? This seasoning is very simple to make, and you most likely have all the ingredients already. I used it last night, ran out, and realized I hadn`t posted it yet, so just made a double batch. It will last just as Long as your other spices if you put it in a spice jar, but I`ve used it so many times the past month or so, that I wanted to make sure I wouldn`t run out any time soon :)

There are a few variations out there, but this is what I used

What you need for the seasoning: 

2 large Tbls Paprika
3 1/2 t salt
2 large tsp garlic powder
2 large tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne, (+/- depending on your like of spicy things)
4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp Oregano

Mix together well and then store in a sealed bag or jar.

To make the chicken, you will need: 

1 chicken breast for each person

1/2 tsp of seasoning per chicken piece

a handful of cilantro (koriander), roughly chopped

1 lime

olive oil

1 avocado, diced

Put about 1 Tbls of olive oil in a pan and heat up. Sprinkle the seasoning on one side of the chicken pieces, flip over and do the other half. 

When the oil begins to smoke, lay the chicken down and sear it for about 2 minutes. Turn it over and sear the other side. 

Cover, and turn down the heat to medium. Depending on the size of your chicken, cook anywhere from 5-10 minutes per side - flipping once half way through).  

While the chicken is cooking, dice your avocado and add 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro, more if you wish. Squeeze half a lime in as well and mix gently. 

When the chicken is cooked, squeeze the rest of the lime over chicken and then add a scoop of the avocado mixture. 

Thai {Chicken} Salad

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away....oh wait. Scratch that. A while back, I made a Thai chicken pizza. It was delicious.  I had thought about turning it into a salad as I had a bunch of left over sauce for the base. Well, I finally did it. I`ve made this 3 times now, once with chicken, once without for lunch (hubby thinks the dressing is so good he`s happy to eat it just on lettuce), and once as a spicy version. I have let the sauce/dressing sit in the fridge for a week and then heated it up in the microwave and it was perfectly fine.

What you need:

For the dressing:  1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (getting harder to find it seems)
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup sake, I have been using white wine vinegar since I couldn`t find any the first time, and since it`s tasted great, have not yet tried the sake.
2 tsp grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 - 1 Tbsp powder)
1/2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp fish sauce

For the rest:
about 400 g chicken (if using)
your favorite greens
1/2 cucumber, peeled
1 avocado, cubed
coconut milk
cilantro (koriander)

First, add the dressing ingredients to a pot and cook on medium until well mixed. Set aside and let cool.

When the sauce is cool, if you are using chicken, add 1-2 Tbsp of sauce to the chicken and mix well. Refridgerate at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

Put about 1 Tbsp of sesame oil in a pan and let it get hot. Add the chicken and stir fry until cooked through. If you would like to make it a little spicy, use chili oil. You can make your own if you don`t have any available. I shall post that recipe soon. Time the cooking of the chicken to how you would like to eat it. You can have this salad either hot, or let the cooked chicken sit until you are ready. I find that easiest.

Peel some cucumber into strips and dice an avocado (my avocado decided it didn`t want to be ripe enough to eat today, but that`s ok, it will be ready for leftovers!)

Put your greens on a plate or in a bowl, add the cucumber and avocado and toss. Top with chicken.

Take the cooled dressing and add about 2 tsp of coconut milk and mix thoroughly. You want to add enough to get it to the consistency you desire, so add more or less as you prefer. It should be thicker than a normal dressing, but easy to mix in.

Top with a few pieces of cilantro.

If you would like, you could also spread the dressing on a tortilla, add your salad ingredients and wrap it up like a burrito.

Another option is to have it as a side, without the chicken in the salad, but instead making chicken satay. Yum!

Enjoy!