Copycat Popeyes Blackened Chicken Strips Recipe

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

In 2011, Popeyes revamped its menu by including non-breaded options, like these blackened chicken strips, which would become the healthiest item offered by that chain. In 2021, the strips were joined by a blackened chicken sandwich, but sadly, neither item seems to be available anymore since Popeyes has gone back to all breaded, all the time. Developer Julianne De Witt, however, has done her best to bring this much-missed Popeyes menu item back to life. As she says of her recipe, "These bold and flavorful copycat Popeyes blackened chicken strips are quick and easy to make. Each piece is seared perfectly, resulting in a juicy, tender, and savory bite." Witt starts with an easy but potent Cajun-style seasoning mix, which features smokiness and heat from chipotle powder and smoked paprika, and plenty of allium zing with garlic powder and onion powder. These flavors intensify in the hot oil as the chicken crisps up, resulting in a versatile chicken recipe you can use in an endless variety of dishes.

The strips are perfect to serve with a ranch dressing dip, as De Witt does, but you can, of course, choose to dip them in any other sauce you like – the Popeyes sauce lineup also includes barbecue sauce, honey mustard, and buffalo sauce.  Whatever you choose to do with them, you'll have four days to figure it out, since that's how long they'll last in the fridge. Of course, you can always make a big batch and freeze them so you'll have them on hand whenever you want.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

The Cajun-style seasoning mix is made with chipotle powder (use more or less to taste) as well as smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, onion powder, salt, and pepper. The only other ingredients you'll need are boneless, skinless chicken breasts and vegetable oil for frying.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the ground chipotle pepper, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add half of the seasoning mix to the chicken.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Use tongs to blend the spices into the chicken.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add more seasoning as necessary until all sides of the chicken are covered.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add the oil to a frying pan and place it over medium-high heat.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Add half of the chicken strips to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, until browned.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Flip the chicken and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a wire rack. Keep warm.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

Cook the remaining chicken strips and serve with a favorite dipping sauce if desired.

Julianne De Witt/Mashed

There are a number of things you can do with these Popeyes-style blackened chicken strips besides snacking on them as is or with a dip. You could also pile them on a bun to recreate the vanished blackened chicken sandwich or even create your own signature sandwich with the strips as the base (they'd be absolutely delicious topped with melted cheese and bacon). Since they're breading-free, they would also be great in a low-carb lettuce wrap. They make an easy protein-level-up as a salad topper, and they could also be part of a rice bowl (or a cauliflower rice bowl, to carry out the low-carb theme). Add black beans, diced avocado, and salsa for a Southwestern-style one, or go Asian-inspired with shredded cabbage, edamame, soy sauce, and sriracha.

You could even enjoy these chicken strips for breakfast. Sandwich them between two biscuits, Chick-fil-A style, chop them into chunks and fold them into an omelet, or mix them with scrambled eggs, peppers, onions, potatoes, and cheese to make a hearty, healthy breakfast burrito.

These chicken strips will be equally tasty whether you eat them cold or hot. If you prefer the latter, reheating them in the microwave won't be a problem since there's no breading to get soggy. If you prefer to reheat them in an oiled pan, oven, or air fryer, that'll work, too.

De Witt has some tips for getting the best results out of this recipe. Though these chicken strips are pan-fried instead of deep-fried, it's still a good idea to choose a high smoke point oil, and you'll also want one that's neutral in flavor. Vegetable oil is both of these things, as well as being very affordable, so it makes the best option. Be sure to preheat the oil, too, so it's hot enough that it'll blacken the spices. (If your oil has a low smoke point, it may burn before the spices blacken, which won't make the final product taste good.) Witt tells us, "Place the pan over medium-high heat to brown the spices, but watch the heat so that they don't burn."

Don't try to save time by cramming all the chicken strips in the pan at once, which will lower the oil temperature, resulting in chicken that cooks unevenly. Ideally, you'll have two thermometers on hand to cook this dish: an oil thermometer to measure the temperature of the oil (this should remain between 350 and 375 degrees Fahrenheit) and a meat thermometer for the chicken (each strip should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit). Once the strips are done cooking, let them rest for at least three minutes so the meat can reabsorb the juices.