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.

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.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (8 chicken thighs)
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated black pepper
- pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 2 oz crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
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Prepare the grill to a medium-high heat.
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In a small bowl, mix paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper and cayenne. Cover chicken in rub. Let sit while the grill heats up. Grill chicken until cooked through and juices run clear, about 15 minutes.
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While the chicken is grilling, prepare the salsa. In a small bowl combine, strawberries, red onion, jalepeno, lime and cilantro. At the last minute add in feta. Season with salt and pepper.
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Serve with chicken.
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Oh my gosh this looks amazing! That salad! Don’t you just love strawberries in savoury recipes? I can just imagine how deelish it must be with the spicy chicken. Yum!
I do!!! There’s something about sweet and savory that gets my every time!! Thanks Alida!!
MMM! This looks and sounds so refreshing and wonderful! I’m still not a dark meat lover..texture thing, but I would totally do this with breasts! The salsa!
I hear ya, it’d be perfect with breast meat as well!! Thank girl!!
yum I love chicken thighs and the addition of a refreshing salsa makes them all the more appealing – delish!
Thanks Christine!
Ooo this chicken looks gorgeous!! I’ve heard about blackened meat before, but that strawberry feta salsa has me drooling over my keyboard! I must try this out this summer! 😀
The salsa definitely takes it from just grilled chicken to something great!
Okay that strawberry feta salsa I want now and want to put it on everything! Strawberries have been so good lately I can’t get enough! I’ve never been a big fan of chicken thighs but in all honesty I haven’t tried them in probably years! haha Maybe it’s time I give it another shot.
I was the same way!! I thought I didn’t like them, and then like last year or so, I just made them and fell in love! In a lot of cases I still like a chicken breast, but when I’m eating just chicken I really like the thigh, you should try it out!
The spice rub on the chicken looks so good. It’s crazy how our tastes change as we get older! I love feta and strawberries together but that’s a combination I never would have eaten as a child.
I know! The thought of meat even grossed me out as a kid, and the thought of something sweet and savory would have sent me running for the hills!
Oh ma goodness this looks amazing!!
Thanks Brittney!
Yum, this looks absolutely delicious! I love that fresh strawberry feta salsa. I can only imagine how wonderful that must be with this blackened chicken. I’m not a dark meat fan, but think I would love it one a chicken breast 😀
It would definitel be just as good with a breast! Thanks Cindy!
You know I’m not fond of any meat, dark or light, but I could love anything with those seasoning and that salsa!! It looks so good. I might have to blacken some tofu just so I can have some. 🙂
Ooooo I bet it would be SO good with tofu!!!
Goodness.. I’m so in the mood for some chicken thighs right now! YUM!
Mmmm me too!!
Just discovered your website and love it a lot. Will follow you from now on. I love how you combined chicken with strawberry salsa. Sounds amazing.
Thank you so much Ella! That means so much!! Can’t wait to have you around more! 🙂 Thank you!!
Nicole, you’re so funny! I did the exact same thing growing up… it was with deer liver! This recipe looks amazing with the strawberry on top!
Deer liver! Oh my!! That’s waaay past my steak and chicken! 🙂
The only meat that I can actually eat is chicken! Anything else, I absolutely detest! This looks GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!! I loveeeee grilled chicken especially when it’s summer time! this salsa looks soooo good and pairs perfectly with the spiced and grilled chicken.
Thanks so much Samina!!
This looks really good. I eat chicken twice a day and I’m so ready for new recipes to make it less boring. And it’s strawberry season it seems =)
Hope you like it John!!