Blackened Chicken Rub

It's time to officially welcome in the weekend and if you're like us, there is some deck sitting, sun soaking, cocktail sipping, grilling up some yumminess in your 48 hour future. Yes, please!

I recently came up with my own spice rub for blackened chicken and we cannot get enough. The flavors are bold and really stand up to the smoky flavor we get from our (read: Mark's beloved) Komado Joe. In addition, I discovered that by letting your chicken hang out in a brine for at least 30 minutes prior to cooking takes otherwise boring boneless, skinless chicken breast to a whole new level. Simply mix 1/8 cup kosher salt and 1/8 cup sugar in a quart of ice cold water and bathe the chicken. Life changing, I tell you.

This rub also works well on pork, beef, fish and even scrambled eggs. Wait...what!?  I like making my own custom spice mixes because I can control what goes in it! Most of the pre-mixed varieties are packed with sodium and so many other ingredients that I can never pronounce. Weird words and unknown ingredients are never a good thing in the world of food so why not control what you can?! 

Blackened Chicken Rub

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground thyme

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/8 tsp. chili powder

The beauty of making your own spice mixes is that you can play around with flavors and add whatever you want! Here are three add ins that often find their way into this rub. 

Crushed red pepper for extra heat, chipotle chili powder for a hint of peppery smoke and cinnamon for something warm and sweet.

Cheers to the weekend and all of the happy things that come with it! Before you head for an extra early Friday happy hour, pop on over to my friend Mandy's blog, House of Rose! Check out my guest post, where I'm sharing my Top 11 Kitchen Must- Haves!

Happy weekending with the ones that you love.