Cajun Chicken

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This Cajun chicken recipe is ready to serve in just 15 minutes and is bold, juicy, and flavor-packed with a delicious homemade Cajun seasoning blend! Pan-fry or bake it in the oven for a quick weeknight dinner served with your favorite sides.

For a quick and easy weeknight meal, gather up your spices to make a fabulous homemade Cajun seasoning, sprinkle it over the chicken, cook it (fry, bake or grill – your choice!), and serve it up with your favorite sides. This Cajun chicken is also delicious cold, served on a bed of lettuce or with classic picnic sides!

What is Cajun Chicken?

Cajun chicken simply refers to chicken that is boldly seasoned with flavors associated with the Cajun cuisine of Louisiana. A typical Cajun seasoning blend will include paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, oregano, thyme, and salt. The chicken is rubbed down with this blend and is then pan-seared, baked or grilled.

Cajun vs. Creole

Cajun seasoning differs from Creole Seasoning in that Cajun is more spice-focused and pepper-forward (paprika, cayenne, black and/or white pepper) while Creole is more herbaceous and often includes herbs like basil, rosemary and bay leaf.

Cajun Seasoning Ingredients

Ratios will vary from blend to blend and the heat level can vary from mild to hot. This blend achieves a nice balance of flavors and is spicy without being overly hot, which is how I like it. If you like your food fiery, feel free to up the heat by increasing the cayenne pepper. Here’s what you’ll need to make the Cajun seasoning:

• Smoked Paprika: essential for getting that rich, smoky flavor.
• Paprika: this is regular sweet paprika simply labeled “paprika”. If you want your chicken extra smoky, go ahead and use more smoked paprika instead.
• Garlic Powder and Onion Powder: for that earthy dose of umami.
• Oregano and Thyme: quintessential herbs in Cajun cuisine.
• Cayenne, Black Pepper and White Pepper: Cajun food is very pepper-forward. You can add more or less according to taste and you can use either black or white pepper, or both if you have them.
• Salt: I use and recommend kosher salt. If you’re using regular table salt, which is a finer grind, you may want to slightly cut back on the quantity called for.

Chef’s Tips

This Cajun chicken is super easy to make but here are a few tips to ensure the best results:

• Let the chicken sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking. This will help promote even cooking by reducing the temperature gap between the outer layer and cold center which will also help prevent the exterior from burning or drying out while the inside finishes cooking.
• Pound the chicken breasts to a thickness of roughly 3/4 inch to ensure even cooking instead of part of it cooking faster and ending up dry.
• While you can use a stainless steel or non-stick skillet, a cast-iron skillet works especially well for this recipe because it holds heat beautifully and encourages a nice browned crust.
• Using both butter and oil adds richness while helping the Cajun seasoning toast and develop plenty of flavor. If the butter begins browning too aggressively, lower the heat a little.
• Use the cooking time as a guide rather than a hard rule. Larger or thicker chicken breasts may take longer, while thinner pieces will cook more quickly. Pounding them evenly helps minimize the difference. But to eliminate the guesswork and to ensure perfectly cooked chicken that is tender and moist, I always recommend using an instant read thermometer.
• Give the cooked chicken about 5 minutes to rest before cutting into it. This gives the juices time to settle back into the meat for a juicier result.
• Just before serving, squeeze fresh lime juice over the chicken to brighten up the smoky, spicy Cajun flavors.

Ready to make some mouth-watering Cajun chicken?

Cajun Chicken Recipe

This recipe is quick and easy to make. The Cajun seasoning can be made well in advance and stored in a glass jar until ready to use. Here’s how to make Cajun chicken:

• Remove the chicken from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Taking the chill off helps it cook more evenly.
• Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness of about 3/4 inch. Blot the chicken dry with a paper towel.
• Combine the ingredients for the Cajun seasoning in a small bowl or jar.
• Generously coat all sides of the chicken breasts with the Cajun seasoning, pressing the seasonings into the meat.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, waiting until it is good and hot, then add the oil and butter. Place the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes. Turn the breasts over and cook on the other side for another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked through and the thickest part registers 165℉. If needed, add a little more butter to the skillet. I strongly recommend using an instant read thermometer to ensure the chicken is cooked but not overcooked, enabling the chicken to be moist and tender.
• Transfer the chicken to a plate, loosely tent with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing or serving whole.
• If desired, squeeze some fresh lime juice over the chicken breasts just before serving.

Ways to Cook Cajun Chicken

There are a few ways you can prepare your Cajun chicken. recipe is for pan-fried Cajun chicken, but you can also bake it in the oven or grill it if you prefer:

• Pan-Fried: Pound the chicken to an even thickness, coat both sides with the Cajun seasoning, then fry it in a hot skillet with oil and butter, flipping it over halfway through. This forms a light crust on the outside while keeping the inside tender and moist.
• Blackened: This takes the pan-fried method a step further by dipping the chicken in melted butter, heavily coating it with the spice blend (blackened chicken typically includes significantly more paprika in the spice blend), and searing it in a ripping-hot cast-iron pan to form a dark, charred, flavorful crust.
• Baked: Place the chicken breasts or cutlets in a baking dish and drizzle a little oil over it, then cover and bake at 450°F until done (the thickest part of the breast should measure 165°F). You can turn the broiler on for 3-5 minutes if you’d like the chicken a little browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate, loosely tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
• Grilled: Marinated or dry-rubbed chicken breasts grilled over high heat for a smoky, charred flavor. To make a marinade, combine the seasoning with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of fresh lime or lemon juice. Place it in a ziplock bag with the chicken breasts, giving it a good massage, and let marinate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight before cooking the chicken on the grill.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the Cajun chicken breasts with your favorite sides or slice and serve them on top of a green salad. This Cajun chicken is great hot or cold, the latter served with your favorite picnic sides. Here are suggestions you can pair with your Cajun chicken:

• Creamy Coleslaw or Freezer Slaw
• Classic Potato Salad
• Old Fashioned Baked Beans
• German Cucumber Salad, Creamy German Cucumber Salad, Four Bean Salad, or Chilled Asparagus with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
• Tossed salad, Caesar salad or Maroulosalata
• Baked potato, Baked Potato Wedges, Oven Baked French Fries or Sweet Potato Fries
• Cornbread Muffins, Skillet Cornbread or Quinoa Cornbread
• Steamed rice, Homemade Rice a Roni, Asparagus Risotto, Tomato Risotto, Pumpkin Risotto or Mushroom Risotto
• Mac and cheese
• Corn on the cob, collard greens, steamed broccoli, green beans, carrots, etc.
• Watermelon, fruit salad, Waldorf Salad or Grape Salad

Enjoy!

For more chicken recipes from around the world try my:

• Jerk Chicken
• Pollo a la Brasa 
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Tandoori Chicken
• Butter Chicken
• Chicken Piccata 
• Chicken Marsala
• Chicken Cacciatore
• Chicken Paprikash
• Chicken Stroganoff
• General Tso’s Chicken
• Mongolian Chicken
• Chicken Teriyaki
• Chicken Bog
• Coq Au Vin
• Doro Wat
• Chicken Machboos