Name: Cast Iron Blackened Chicken with Pineapple-Cucumber Salsa
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 2 cups 1/2-inch pineapple pieces; 1/2 cucumber , peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 small shallot , minced; 1 serrano chile , steamed, seeded, and minced; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaf; 1 tablespoon lime juice; Salt and pepper; 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger; 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder; 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice; 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast , trimmed; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Why This Recipe Works

The appeal of blackened chicken lies in a complex, flavorful, crisp crust that envelops a juicy chicken breast. However, most of the time this dish ends up with a burnt-tasting exterior and chalk-dry meat. The key to cooking blackened boneless, skinless chicken breasts with a flavorful, moist interior is the heat level. Cooking over low or even moderate heat pushes the meat's moisture to the surface, and once the juices hit the exterior of the meat, the breasts will not brown at all. Cooking over high heat, however, burns the spices in the rub before the meat has a chance to cook through. To keep the spices from burning, we first pounded the thicker ends of the breasts to make them even so that they would cook through faster, ensuring that the spice rub spent less time exposed to intense heat. We got a great initial sear over medium-high heat and then finished the chicken at a lower, gentler temperature. The other key to a flavorful blackened-but-not-burned chicken is the rub. We chose a robust combination of ingredients: Brown sugar, coriander, ground ginger, garlic powder, allspice, and cayenne all lent their potent flavors to create a deeply complex mixture. A fruity salsa balanced the sharp, bold flavors in the rub. We turned to tangy pineapple and cooling cucumber to perfectly complement our spicy chicken.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position, place 12-inch cast-iron skillet on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Meanwhile, combine pineapple, cucumber, shallot, serrano, mint, lime juice, and ½ teaspoon salt in bowl; set aside for serving.

Combine sugar, coriander, ginger, garlic powder, allspice, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon pepper in bowl, breaking up any lumps. Pound thicker ends of chicken breasts as needed to achieve even thickness. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and rub evenly with spice mixture.

When oven reaches 500 degrees, remove skillet from oven using potholders and place over medium-high heat; turn off oven. Being careful of hot skillet handle, add oil and heat until just smoking. Cook chicken, without moving, until lightly browned on first side, about 2 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until lightly browned on second side, about 2 minutes.

Flip chicken, reduce heat to medium, and cook until very dark brown and chicken registers 160 degrees, 4 to 7 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking. Serve with salsa.