Blackened Chicken With Fruit Salsa Recipes

BLACKENED CHICKEN WITH AVOCADO SALSA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly sprinkle both sides of chicken with blackened steak seasoning. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook until browned on both sides, turning once.
• Place the skillet and chicken into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
• Meanwhile, for salsa, in a large bowl whisk together rice vinegar, the 2 tablespoons olive oil, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Stir in avocado, papaya, sweet pepper, and chopped cilantro. Serve with chicken.

BLACKENED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat for 5 minutes until it is smoking hot.
• Mix together the paprika, salt, cayenne, cumin, thyme, white pepper, and onion powder. Oil the chicken breasts with cooking spray on both sides, then coat the chicken breasts evenly with the spice mixture.
• Place the chicken in the hot pan, and cook for 1 minute. Turn, and cook 1 minute on other side. Place the breasts on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 5 minutes.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH FRUIT SALSA

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Spread over one side of each chicken breast. , In a large skillet, saute chicken seasoned side down in butter for 4-6 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 170°. Remove chicken to serving platter; keep warm. , Meanwhile, for salsa, in a small bowl, combine the fruit, onion and pepper; set aside. Combine cornstarch and juice until smooth; gradually stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; pour over fruit mixture and gently toss to coat. Serve with chicken.

BLACKENED CHICKEN QUESADILLAS & CRANBERRY MANGO SALSA

Steps:

• For the Salsa (yields about 3 cups):.
• Toss the cranberries with the brown sugar then chop coarsley in a food processor, transfer to a heat resistant bowl and set aside.
• In a saucepan, combine granulated sugar and water over medium-high heat; bring to a boil while stirring; once boiling, stop stirring and allow to cook for 3 minutes, then immediately pour syrup over cranberries and allow to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, peel and dice kiwi and mango.
• Combine mango, kiwi, red onion,cilantro, lime juice, serrano chile, garlic and honey; mix well and add to cranberry mixture.
• Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.
• For the Quesadillas:.
• Place blackening seasoning in a shallow dish.
• Between two sheets of plastic wrap, flatten chicken breasts with a meat mallet or heavy skillet to a flat even thickness; rub each breast with a few drops of oil and dredge in the blackening seasoning to coat.
• Heat 1 tbl of peanut oil in a heavy skillet over high heat; add chicken and cook until blackened on both sides and cooked through- set aside to rest.
• In a separate skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat, add onions and saute until just translucent; turn heat to low and cook for 15 minutes until onions are soft but not browned.
• Stir in basil and honey and cook for 5 more minutes.
• Add chicken broth and turn up heat high enough for broth to simmer; cook until almost all of the broth has evaporated; remove from heat and set aside.
• Slice chicken into small pieces and mix with onions.
• To assemble: Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on one tortilla, then spoon on 1/4 of the chicken mixture; sprinkle with 2 tbl more cheese and place another tortilla on top.
• Lightly brush a skillet with peanut oil and heat over medium high heat; slide the quesadilla into the skillet and heat until cheese begins to melt; brush upper tortilla with peanut oil and flip quesadilla in skillet.
• When cheese is melted, remove from skillet, cut into quarters and serve with cranberry-mango salsa.
• Note: quesadillas (top brushed with oil) can also be cooked on a parchment lined sheet pan in a 350 degree oven until cheese melts.

ISLAND CHICKEN WITH FRUIT SALSA

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix the pineapple and the reserved juice from 1 can, mangos, peppers, cilantro, lime juice and pulp, orange juice, rum, and garlic. Let stand for one hour before adding chicken.
• Strain the juice from the salsa to use for the marinade. Set aside enough salsa without the juice to use for topping the chicken. Marinate the chicken breast halves in the bowl with the remaining salsa and juice mixture for 2 to 6 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Discard salsa used for marinating, and bake chicken for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken juices run clear. Top with reserved salsa to serve.