Homemade Blackened Seasoning (Blackening Spice Mix)

Blackened Seasoning, a flavorful Cajun spice-blend to cook blackened spice-crusted chicken or fish. Blackened chicken or fish tastes delicious, and aroma is like eating in classic Southern Kitchen. With this easy recipe, you can now make Blackened Chicken at home. All spices, to make this seasoning, are already in your pantry. Plus homemade seasoning is healthier, preservative free, artificial color free, and gluten free. 

Homemade Seasonings are good utilization of pantry spices, and also a great way to save some money. Why spend on something you can resource from your own pantry? Isn't it? This is what motivates me to keep adding homemade seasonings to ChefDeHome repertoire. (Keep reading to get list of all previous seasoning recipes.)

So, let's make Blackened Seasoning today! 

WHAT IS BLACKENED SEASONING

Name Blackened Seasoning (or Blackening Spice) is derived from "Blackening" cooking method. Blackening is a cooking technique used to create black-brown spice crust on fish or chicken. It was made popular by Cajun cuisine expert Chef Paul Prudhomme. His seasoning is popular by name Paul Prudhomme's Redfish Magic Seasoning. 

If you like Southern food, I'm sure you must have come across - blackened chicken or blackened tilapia? In this preparation, chicken or fish is coated in milk products such as butter, or buttermilk. It is then dredged heavily with Blackening Seasoning and cooked in hot cast iron skillet. Milk solids, sugar and spices create an aromatic, and amazingly delicious black-brown crust. You can't miss the aroma. 

Using this spice blend, I have previous shared Blackened Chicken Chopped Salad and Blackened Fish Taco Salad recipes on blog. I highly recommend trying these with this homemade Blackened Seasoning recipe.

WHERE TO BUY BLACKENED SEASONING?

Prior to starting making my own blackening spice blend, I often used store-bought. I recommend to buy following blackened seasoning brands from your local grocery store or online.

Chef Paul Blackened Seasoning

Old Bay Blackened Seasoning

WHAT IS IN BLACKENED SEASONING?

Blackened Seasoning is magic of just 8 pantry spices. Namely - garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, cumin, cayenne, and chili flakes. (black pepper, and salt on the house) It is very easy and cost-effective to mix own blackening spice at home because most of these spices you will already have in pantry. 

To make blackened seasoning, I start by dry roasting cumin seeds and black peppercorns. This step only takes 1-2 minute but makes big difference in flavor of Blackened Seasoning. After dry toasting, I grind cumin seeds, black peppercorns with chili flakes, dried thyme and oregano.

Please note that grinding herbs and seeds to fine powder is VERY important to make a uniform blackened spice crust. If herbs or spices are coarse ground.. these won't stick to chicken/fish well and will also darken/burn quickly. For that reason, make sure all spices are fine ground including sugar, salt, onion and garlic. For best results, add all coarse or whole spices to spice grinder and pulse a few times.

Blackened Seasoning is a healthy seasoning. It has very less sugar per serving. In-fact, you can even make low-sodium or salt free blackening Seasoning because onion, garlic, oregano, paprika have so much flavor that salt is not missed. Or to control the amount of salt per taste, I recommend adding half of the salt while mixing. Add rest after tasting the mixed spice blend. 

Just like salt, you can control the amount of heat in seasoning by adding half amount at time of mixing and add rest after tasting.

Homemade Blackened Seasoning is also my favorite for following reasons:
1. Opportunity to adjust the flavor as per personal preference. Homemade blend is way more flavorful than store-bought package.
2. Keep salt in control. Even make a salt free seasoning.
3. Make seasoning at moment's notice without a trip to grocery store.
4. Above all, ditch the delivery and make delicious cajon classic Blackened Chicken for dinner.

Stock you pantry with spices and use these recipes to make any spice mix, at moment's notice, without trip to grocery store. 

Fajita Seasoning 
Garam Masala 
Za'atar Seasoning 
Turkey Seasoning 
Chai Tea Spice 
Taco Seasoning
Garam Masala

Note: McCormick is my trusted brand for quality spices. McCormick Spices are available in almost all US Grocery Stores. For everywhere else, you can buy these online.

You can use Blackening Seasoning in endless way. My top favorites being:
1. Pan-Fried Classic Blackened Chicken or Fish.
2. Oven Roasted and Grilled Chicken. (Blackened Seasoning makes excellent grilling seasoning for any kind of meat.)
3. Dips.
4. Vegetable Stir-fry.
5. Make Cajun spice Popcorns. (yumm)

Friends, homemade seasoning is only 5 minutes away. Look out in pantry and blend some today for your next spiced Blackened Chicken Dinner.