Cajun Blackened Chicken (Sous Vide)

There’s a reason blackened chicken goes wrong at home: by the time the crust is dark, the inside’s overcooked. We fix that by cooking the breast sous vide first, so the cast iron only has one job — the crust. Black on the outside, juicy all the way through. Built the New Orleans way, with as much cayenne as your dad demands.

Where blackening comes from: It’s not an old Cajun secret — it was born in the French Quarter. Chef Paul Prudhomme debuted blackened redfish at K-Paul’s in March 1980: butter, cayenne, herbs, and a screaming cast-iron skillet. It got so popular it nearly fished the Gulf’s redfish dry. He took the technique from fish to chicken — and so do we.

Blackened chicken hits hard and rich, so the plate wants two things next to it: something starchy to ride the heat, and something bright and acidic to reset your mouth between bites. We go creole rice pilaf and / or a sharp salad.

The salad (no recipe needed — just keep it sharp) Crisp romaine or butter lettuce, thin-sliced red onion, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber, dressed in a bright Creole-mustard vinaigrette: 3 parts olive oil, 1 part red wine vinegar, a teaspoon of Creole mustard, a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper. The acid is the whole job here — it resets your palate so every bite of that cayenne crust lands fresh. A wedge of lemon on the plate does the same in a pinch.

Cajun Blackened Chicken (Sous Vide)

Sous vide chicken breast finished with a hard cast-iron sear on open fire and a scratch Cajun blackening blend. Perfectly juicy inside, deeply blackened crust outside.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Sous Vide Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cajun, Creole, New Orleans

Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

Chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 6–8 oz each
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning see below; or use Tony's, Slap Ya Mama, or Zatarain's

Cajun seasoning

• 2 tbsp sweet paprika or smoked paprika, or paprika
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne start at 1 tsp… then add more

Method

 

1. If making your own blend. Combine all blend spices. Start with 1 tsp cayenne; adjust up to taste.
2. Season and vaccum seal. Salt the breasts and cover with cajun seasoning. Add a 1/2 tbsp butter on the top of each piece of chicken. Seal in a vacuum or use the zip-lock bag water-displacement method.
3. Sous vide. Warm the water bath to desired temperature and place chicken in water. Cook at 150°F / 66°C for 1.5-2 hours for traditional-juicy texture (145°F / 63°C for silkier).
4. Preheat the skillet HOT. Get a cast iron skillet ripping hot on a grill or pizza oven outdoors (keeps the smoke outdoors) or on the stovetop with strong ventilation.
5. Dry & coat. Pull breasts from the bag, pat bone dry. Brush with additional melted butter, press firmly into the blend on all sides.
6. Sear. Lay in the dry hot skillet. Sear 45–60 sec per side without moving — let the crust set.
7. Rest & slice. Rest 2-5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Video

Notes

• Bone-dry surface = crust. Wet chicken steams instead of blackening.
• The breast is already cooked through after the bath — the sear is only for crust, so don’t chase internal temp.
• Smoke is normal and significant. The outdoor finish is strongly recommended.
• Serve it with: Creole rice pilaf and/or a sharp, acidic salad — the rice carries the spice, the salad cuts it.