Dinner · 20 min · american

Copycat Blackened Chicken Tenders (Popeyes’ style)

If you like chicken tenderloins, you’ll love this American dinner — 20 minutes from craving to table. At 210 calories and 40g protein per serving, it fits easily into a high-protein day. Naturally high-protein, it scales cleanly if you are cooking for more than one.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken tenderloins
• 1 tbsp Smoked paprika
• 2 tsp Garlic powder
• 2 tsp Onion powder
• 1 tsp Dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Olive oil

Steps

1. Pat the tenders bone-dry; spice rubs slide right off wet chicken.
2. Mix the blackening spices and rub them in like you mean it — full coverage, no bare spots.
3. Get a cast-iron ripping hot until it just smokes, then add the oil; blackened means seared, not burned.
4. Sear 3 minutes per side, pressing lightly; the crust should be deep mahogany, almost charred at the edges.
5. Rest 5 minutes so the juices settle, then slice on a bias and serve with pickles or a squeeze of lemon.

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