Once upon a desire-to-recreate-a-recipe time, I looked up how to make blackened chicken and wrote it off as a smoky mess hassle.  Months {and an extreme blackened chicken caesar salad craving} later, I decided to scroll further down Google search results and find a recipe that used a stovetop rather than the oven.

I purchased all six spices from the bulk department, spending a whopping 40-ish cents on seasonings. And I generously coated the chicken breasts per this blackened chicken recipe, wishing later that I was a bit more generous.  I could have used more of that crispy blackened crust I was hoping for.

Side note: I’m seriously considering tossing my spice collection and going the bulk route from now on.  So fresh, so cheap!

When the chicken was finished, I filled a large bowl equally with bite-sized pieces of kale and romaine.  And then I used my hands to mix in homemade caesar salad dressing {a recipe that I plan to perfect and share soon} until all of the greens were lightly coated.  After topping with the sliced blackened chicken, it was the exact salad I had been craving for so long.  And without a single sound from the smoke alarm!