Southwest Blackened Chicken with Cilantro-Scallion Buttter

This is, quite possibly, the best chicken you will ever eat. Each breast is seasoned with chili, cumin, onion, and garlic and then blackened in a hot pan - until moist and charred at the same time. But it doesn't stop there. There's a drippy topping of creamy butter, fresh cilantro, scallions, garlic, and lime. One bite and you are catapulted to chicken-dinner-nirvana. Trust me, I was there. 

And my boys joined me on this journey to chicken paradise. In fact, they were nearly speechless during dinner. So much for the "How was school?" colloquy... we were devouring this bird like there was no tomorrow.

And, get this, you can experience this dish over and over again because the seasonings are all pantry staples and the compound butter leaves leftovers... seasoned butter that you can stash in your fridge for months (and use on practically anything - from chicken to steak, fish, shellfish, vegetables, noodles, rice, and potatoes).

This is a wicked fast dish to make too - great for a busy weeknight (or any night when you don't feel like slaving; which is most nights for me). Yes, the butter needs to chill, but if you're desperate, you can skip this step.

Southwest Blackened Chicken with Cilantro-Scallion Butter

For the cilantro-scallion butter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened to room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime zest
1 teaspoon finely chopped scallions/green onion
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
For the blackened chicken:
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

To make the butter, in a medium bowl, combine the butter, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, scallion/green onion, and garlic. Mash with a fork or spoon to fully combine. Transfer the butter to a piece of plastic wrap and form into a log. Refrigerate for 1 hour, until firm.
To make the chicken, in a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin, onion, and garlic. Mix well. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Rub the chili powder mixture all over the chicken. At this point, you can cover the chicken with plastic and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. 
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until the seasonings are blackened and the chicken is cooked through, turning the chicken frequently. 

Slice a few slivers of the prepared butter and place them over the chicken. Serve hot and store leftover butter (wrapped in plastic) in the refrigerator.
Serves 4