Creamy Cajun Chicken
Creamy Cajun Chicken is a rich and flavorful dish that combines tender, golden pan-fried chicken with a luscious, spicy cream sauce. The recipe features Cajun seasoning, which adds a smoky and slightly spicy kick, balanced by the rich creaminess of heavy cream. Serve over mashed potatoes and a lime wedge and you have a comforting weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 14 oz diced tomatoes with green chiles fire roasted or regular, juice reserved in bowl
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 ¼ tsp brown sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp Cajun seasoning
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tsp fresh lime juice plus wedges for serving
- Scallions for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour and cajun seasoning. Coat the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat together the butter and olive oil. Once hot, cook the chicken in batches, if necessary, 3-4 minutes per side until golden. It may not be cooked through fully and that’s fine.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the reserved tomato juice to the skillet and gently scrape the browned bits from the skillet. Melt in 3 tbsp butter; add the green bell peppers and garlic. Cook until the peppers are tender, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the 3 tbsp of flour continuously for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Pour in the heavy cream, chicken broth, and hot sauce. Let it come to a simmer, then stir in the reserved tomatoes, brown sugar, Cajun seasoning, oregano, cayenne pepper, mustard powder, and salt, to taste. Simmer for 4 minutes until thickened.
- Reduce heat to low, and slowly stir in lime juice. Add the chicken back to the skillet. Spoon some sauce over the top. Let it come to a simmer, stirring occasionally, uncovered until the chicken is cooked through to 165F when temping the fattest part. Stir.
- Serve with lime wedges and scallions.
Notes
Storage: Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat for the best results. Otherwise, the microwave is fine. Freezing is not recommended.
What to Serve With This: Pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes are good options to soak up the sauce. You can steam some broccoli as well. For low-carb options, go with mashed cauliflower or roasted Brussels sprouts. You can keep things light and serve a salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing or a Lemon Vinaigrette.
Variations:
- You can use 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained) instead of the fire-roasted tomatoes in the dish. If you choose this, substitute 1/4 cup chicken broth for the reserved tomato liquid from the can.
- Add some mushrooms, celery, and/or onions when cooking the bell peppers.
- Add some parmesan cheese to the sauce! Nothing wrong with adding cheese. You can also stir in Cheddar Jack, Monterey Jack, Sharp Cheddar, or mozzarella. If you choose to add cheese, do so before adding the chicken back to the skillet.
- Use regular diced tomatoes instead of fire-roasted if you can't find them.
- You can add black beans or sweet corn to this when adding in the tomatoes.