Soft and juicy Cajun chicken breast doused in a super simple butter sauce.
Not only does this dish come together in 30 minutes, not only does it require just a handful of very simple ingredients, but it’s truly one of the easiest and most delicious ways to serve chicken breast. Follow me…
Cajun Chicken
For this recipe we’ll be using chicken breasts. Whilst you could use chicken thigh, there’s a lot of butter in this recipe, which really calls for a leaner cut of meat. The base seasoning is simple store-bought Cajun seasoning, brown sugar and S&P. It’s only a small amount of sugar, but it helps balance the salt and spice; it also helps the chicken caramelise in the pan.
Halving the chicken
We’ll be halving the breasts right through the centre to create 4 even-sized cutlets. Not only does this allow the chicken to cook more quickly, but it’ll also allow the chicken to cook through more evenly too.
Dredging through flour
Once the chicken is seasoned, it’s going to be coated in a very thin layer of flour. This will help the chicken build up a crust, which in turn helps the sauce cling to the meat.
From there, it’s a simple case of pan-frying the chicken in a little oil and butter until very lightly charred and cooked through the centre.
Process shots: slice chicken (photo 1), season (photo 2), coat in flour (photos 3&4), fry (photos 5&6).
Sauce for Cajun Chicken
The sauce is literally just garlic, chicken stock and butter. That’s all you need, since a lot of the flavour is going to come from cooking the chicken. Let me explain…
As you fry the chicken you’ll notice ‘fond’ in the pan building up. This will melt into the sauce and add bags of flavour. Alongside this, when you rest the chicken, you’ll notice a pool of ‘juices’ on the plate. This can be incorporated in the sauce for extra flavour. Finally, when you can put the chicken back in the pan, you’ll get a gorgeous flavour exchange between the meat and the sauce.
Process shots: fry garlic (photo 1), add stock (photo 2), whisk in butter (photo 3), add chicken (photo 4).
How to serve Cajun Chicken
There are two very important ingredients that we need to add when serving:
- Chives – these offer a final pop of flavour and colour.
- Lemon – this brightens up the sauce and cuts through the rich and spicy sauce.
From there, I typically serve this in 1 of 3 contexts:
- Wedges and Broccolini (pictured below – this is my go-to)
- Mash and Green Beans (for the ultimte comfort dinner)
- Crusty Bread and Side Salad (a little lighter – perfect for warmer months)
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this Cajun butter chicken shall we?!
How to make Cajun Butter Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)
Cajun Butter Chicken
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Small Pot or Bowl (for seasoning)
- Large Shallow Dish (for flour)
- Large Pan & Tongs
- Jug (for stock)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2x 250g/9oz Chicken Breasts
- 2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning (see notes)
- 1 tsp Brown Sugar
- 1/4 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper
- 35g / 1/4 cup Plain Flour
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 15g / 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter (see notes)
Sauce
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
- 75g / 5 tbsp Unsalted Butter, diced into cubes
To serve
- 2 tbsp finely diced Fresh Chives
- 1 Lemon, quartered
Instructions
- Horizontally slice each chicken breast right through the centre to create 4 even-sized cutlets. In a small pot or bowl, combine the Cajun seasoning with sugar, salt and pepper, then use it to coat both sides of the cutlets.
- Add the flour to a large shallow dish. One by one, coat the cutlets in the flour and place to one side, shaking off excess flour as you go.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp oil and butter. Once the pan is hot and the butter has melted, add the cutlets and fry both sides for a few minutes until very lightly charred and just cooked through the centre. Remove and place on a plate to one side.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic to the leftover fat in the pan. Fry for 10-20 seconds until it just starts turning golden (be careful it doesn't burn) then pour in the stock. Whisk in the butter until it melts, then simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce turns cloudy and thickens a little, stirring frequently.
- Turn the heat to low then stir in the resting juices from the chicken. Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Add the chicken back in to coat in the sauce, then serve with fresh chives and a squeeze of lemon juice (to taste). Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
