Blackened Chicken Thighs with Strawberry Feta Salsa

These Blackened Chicken Thighs with Strawberry Feta Salsa are such a fun way to prepare chicken. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are covered in paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. They’re seared and then served with an easy Strawberry Feta Salsa. 

When I was a little girl I despised meat. So much so, that even when I was forced to eat it, I’d pretend to chew it up, but secretly I was transporting it to my napkin where I’d later dispose of it in the thick bushes in our front yard. Like most kids, I had an issue with texture; if it didn’t disintegrate within seconds after chewing I wasn’t interested. It wasn’t until later that I warmed up to chicken, but white meat only – even the wing was questionable. Somewhere in my adolescence my taste buds changed, I adored thick cuts of tender filet mignon, juicy pork, and even lamb, but the one thing that didn’t change was my aversion to dark chicken meat. I just couldn’t bring myself to eat it. This rang true all the way through my teen years, college and even a majority of my short-lived adult-hood. But something changed in the last year, I just woke up one day and I thought I’d give it another chance, and I haven’t looked back since.

My dark meat of choice is almost always a bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh. I love how moist and flavorful the meat stays when on the bone, and of course I can’t get enough of that crispy skin (secretly my favorite part). I’ve prepared chicken thighs a million different ways, but in the summer time, I’m all about grilling.

Here I took advantage of the mouthwateringly juicy strawberries that are currently filling my grocery store – although I think I ate about half of them before they made it on to the chicken. And because I’m still stuck in Greek mode, and didn’t get my fill of feta while over there, I threw in some for a cheesy, salty bite that pairs up nicely with the strawberries. A little bit of red onion for crunch is tossed in, along with some jalapeño for a spicy kick and lime juice for a bit of acid. Salt and pepper to taste complete the salsa.

Making your own spices rubs is one of the easiest ways to add loads of flavor into your grilled meats – plain old grilled chicken seasoned simply with salt and pepper and served with nothing else can get boring in about a millisecond. In this particular spice rub, I put together a quick blackening combo I thought would pair nicely with the sweet and spicy strawberry salsa. I used spices I keep in my pantry at all times – a little bit of paprika for a smoky flavor and dark color, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper and a touch of cayenne for heat.

The rub is slathered all over the chicken, and then grilled off until the skin is crispy and the meat is cooked through. Spoon the strawberry salsa over the hot chicken and dinner is done.

 

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