These blackened chicken sandwiches feature flavorful chicken with a blackened crust. Avocado with lime juice, crunchy bacon, and crisp lettuce are perfect additions to create the ultimate chicken sandwich recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- This delicious sandwich uses simple, fresh ingredients.
- There are a variety of flavors and textures for these Cajun chicken sandwiches. The blackened seasoning is easy to make and elevates the flavor of the chicken. We hope it becomes one of your favorite recipes for chicken sandwiches!
- The toppings you choose to add to the chicken sandwich are easily prepared while the chicken is cooking.
- There are multiple cooking methods you can use for the chicken, so you can choose the cooking technique that is easiest and most convenient for your household.
Ingredient Notes
- Blend of spices: you will need paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and brown sugar to create the blackened seasoning. This spice mixture creates a nice crust for the chicken, helps to seal in extra moisture, and creates a savory flavor. If you want to create a spicy version for blackening spice, you can add a dash of cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, or black pepper as well.
- Olive oil or avocado oil
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts - you will need 2 large chicken breasts for this recipe. You will butterfly the whole chicken breasts into two thinner pieces, also known as chicken cutlets. We like to use boneless chicken breast, but feel free to use chicken thighs instead if that is your preference.
- Avocado and lime - you'll mash the avocado and add a little bit of lime juice to freshen up the flavors to make this a very good sandwich!
- Bacon - prepare your bacon your preferred way. If you want to increase the ease of this recipe, simply buy precooked bacon and warm it up prior to adding it to the sandwiches. You could also cook your bacon on the stove top over medium-high heat, in the oven, or in the air fryer.
- Fresh lettuce - fresh, crisp lettuce adds the perfect texture to the sandwich.
- Sandwich buns - choose your favorite sandwich buns to take this sandwich to the next level. While you can use regular hamburger buns, you can also try a toasted brioche bun or kaiser rolls. Toasting it is a necessity in our opinion!
- Other optional toppings: tomato, thinly sliced red onion or caramelized onions, crisp pickles, a slice of cheese, sliced jalapeños, spicy mayo.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Equipment You’ll Need
- Cutting board and knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Two small bowls
- An air fryer*, grill, oven, or pan such as a nonstick pan or cast iron skillet
- Meat thermometer*
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Begin by butterflying the chicken—slice the chicken breasts in half so they are half of the original thickness. You will have 4 pieces of chicken.
Add all of the spices to a small bowl and mix until combined. Lay the chicken breasts on a large plate. Drizzle the oil evenly over the chicken breasts on both sides. Next, sprinkle the seasoning evenly over each piece of chicken, liberally coating each side.
Our recommended method is the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick spray. Place the chicken in the basket, preventing the pieces from touching. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the chicken in two separate batches. Let the chicken cook for 9-10 minutes, flipping the chicken half way. The chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also cook the chicken on the stove, in the oven, or on the grill if you don’t have an air fryer. For the oven, bake the chicken at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. For the stove and grill, cook the chicken on medium heat until the thickest portion reaches 165 degrees. Keep in mind that the overall cooking time may vary based on the thickness of your chicken. The chicken should appear to be golden brown in color.
If you are not using precooked bacon, prepare it using whatever method you prefer.
Add the avocado to a small bowl. Mash it and add lime juice and salt to taste.
Toast the buns and prepare any other toppings.
Assemble the sandwiches with avocado mash, chicken, bacon, and any other desired toppings.
Tips & Variations
- If you want to make a spicy chicken sandwich, feel free to add jalapeño pepper slices, hot sauce, or a spicy mayo/Sriracha mayonnaise
- We love to serve these sandwiches with our air fryer red potatoes and oven baked fries. If you want to continue with the Cajun theme, you could also serve with Cajun fries.
- If you want to add caramelized onions to your sandwich, here is a quick breakdown: cut a few sweet onions (or other onions of choice) into thin slices. Add some oil or butter (about 1-2 tsp per onion) to a nonstick pan over medium heat. When melted, add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, for about 30 to 60 minutes to allow the caramelization to occur. This is a process that requires more time. You may need to lower the heat after the onions have softened.
- Feel free to top your chicken with a slice of creamy cheese as well!
FAQ
We have found that the best way to store leftovers is by storing the ingredients separately in airtight containers.
This recipe can be made gluten-free with the use of a gluten-free bun. It is dairy-free as long as you choose dairy-free toppings. It is not vegan or vegetarian.
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If you make this blackened chicken sandwich recipe, please let us know how it turns out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Blackened Chicken Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (about 2 large chicken breasts)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp olive or avocado oil or oil spray
- 1 avocado, mashed
- Juice from 1/2 of a lime
- 4 pieces of cooked bacon
- 4 pieces of lettuce
- 1 tomato, thinly sliced
- 4 sandwich or burger buns, toasted
- Optional toppings: thinly sliced red onion, caramelized onions, pickles, spicy mayo, a slice of cheese, sliced jalapeños.
Instructions
- Begin by butterflying the chicken—slice the chicken breasts in half so they are half of the original thickness. You will have 4 pieces of chicken.
- Add all of the spices to a small bowl and mix until combined. Lay the chicken breasts on a large plate. Drizzle the oil evenly over the chicken breasts on both sides. Next, sprinkle the seasoning evenly over the chicken breasts, liberally coating each side.
- If you are not using precooked bacon, prepare it using whatever method you prefer.
To cook the chicken
- Our recommended method is the air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray the air fryer basket with non-stick spray. Place the chicken in the basket, preventing the pieces from touching. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook the chicken in two separate batches. Let the chicken cook for 9-10 minutes, flipping the chicken half way. The chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- You can also cook the chicken on the stove, in the oven, or on the grill if you don’t have an air fryer. For the oven, bake the chicken at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. For the stove and grill, cook the chicken on medium heat until the thickest portion reaches 165 degrees.
To prep the sandwiches
- Add the avocado to a small bowl. Mash it and add lime juice and salt to taste.
- Toast the buns and prepare any other toppings.
- Assemble the sandwiches with avocado mash, chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and any other desired toppings.
Notes
- This recipe can be made gluten-free with the use of a gluten-free bun. It is dairy-free as long as you choose dairy-free toppings. It is not vegan or vegetarian.
The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Blackened Chicken Sandwiches."
The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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