This Chicken Lazone is unapologetically rich, with tender seasoned chicken in a buttery, flavour-packed cream sauce.
If you’ve never heard of Chicken Lazone, it’s a New Orleans dish attributed to chef Lazone Randolph of Brennan’s. The bones of the recipe are seasoned chicken finished in a simple butter-and-cream sauce. My version keeps the simple spirit of the original, but dials up the flavour and turns it into a delicious 20-minute dinner. Follow me…
Ingredient Notes
The awesome thing about this recipe is the fact you barely need any ingredients, and most of them might already be in your kitchen! The full quantities are down in the recipe card, but just to quickly go over each one:
- Chicken – Traditionally you’d use chicken breasts, although chicken tenders are really common in modern versions too. I love using tenders because you get much more surface area for the seasoning, plus they cook quickly and stay beautifully tender.
- Cream – Heavy (US) Double (UK) cream is the backbone of the sauce. Don’t use single cream, half and half or milk; you’ll lose the richness and the sauce becomes difficult to thicken.
- Stock – I find a small amount adds some much-needed depth to the sauce. I recommend using no/low-salt stock so you can better control the seasoning.
- Butter – A crucial ingredient. I add this in layers to build the sauce. Again, I recommend unsalted, so you get more control over the seasoning of the dish.
- Seasoning – A simple mix of store-cupboard spices and herbs gives the chicken its signature punch of flavour, with a little warmth without making it overly spicy.
Preparing Chicken Lazone
Besides slicing the butter, there’s barely any prep involved here. Just toss the tenders in the seasoning and oil, and you’re pretty much good to go!
Frying the tenders
This is where you can really build some extra flavour. I recommend frying the chicken over medium-high heat until deeply golden with some light charring around the edges. This also builds up some ‘fond’ in the pan – basically all those gorgeous browned bits stuck to the bottom that we’ll scrape up into the sauce. The tenders won’t take long to cook, so don’t overdo them. Keep in mind they’ll continue cooking slightly as they rest, then a little more when they go back into the sauce at the end.
Process shots: add tenders, oil and seasoning to bowl (photo 1), toss (photo 2), add to pan (photo 3), fry then remove (photo 4).
Chicken Lazone Sauce
The sauce itself is really simple (literally just cream, butter and a little stock), but there are a few small things you can do to make sure it turns out completely delicious. None of them are difficult steps, but together they make a huge difference:
- Reserve some seasoning – Keep a little of the seasoning mix back from the chicken and stir it into the sauce at the beginning. This means the sauce itself gets properly seasoned, rather than relying only on whatever is left in the pan.
- Use the fond – All those browned bits left behind after frying the chicken are pure flavour. Scrape them up as the stock reduces so they melt straight into the sauce.
- Don’t waste the resting juices – Any juices that collect around the chicken as it rests need to go straight back into the pan. There’s loads of flavour in there, so definitely don’t leave them behind!
- Finish everything together – Add the chicken back to the sauce for a minute at the end. This gives the sauce a chance to pick up even more flavour from the seasoning on the chicken, while the chicken gets coated in all that creamy goodness.
Process shots: toast seasoning in butter (photo 1), reduce stock (photo 2), simmer cream (photo 3), stir in resting juices (photo 4), stir in butter (photo 5), add chicken (photo 6).
Serving Suggestions
Pasta is a really popular way to serve Chicken Lazone, and it’s probably my favourite. I serve with buttered noodles (just fettuccine, parmesan and butter). I’ve added some more guidance on that in the recipe card.
Otherwise, rice, mashed potatoes, or some crusty bread all work brilliantly. Basically anything you can use to mop up all that gorgeous sauce! I also like a simple green salad, just to cut through the richness.
For more recipes using chicken tenders check out my Chicken Tenders Recipe Collection!
For more delicious creamy chicken recipes check out my Creamy Cajun Chicken, Creamy Paprika Chicken and Creamy Bacon Chicken!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this chicken lazone shall we?!
How to make Chicken Lazone (Full Recipe & Video)
Chicken Lazone
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Large Pan & Tongs
- Wooden Spoon
- Jug (for stock/cream)
- Large Pot & Colander (for pasta – optional)
Ingredients
Chicken Lazone
- 1 tsp EACH: Sweet/Regular Paprika, Smoked Paprika, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder (see notes)
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp EACH: Dried Thyme, Dried Oregano, Cayenne Pepper, Black Pepper
- 1.3lb / 600g Chicken Tenders
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 1/2 tbsp / 37.5g Unsalted Butter (divided into 1 tbsp/15g, 1 tbsp/15g, 1/2 tbsp/7.5g)
- 1/2 cup / 120ml low-salt Chicken Stock (see notes)
- 1 cup / 240ml Heavy/Double Cream, leave at room temp
To Serve (optional)
- 9oz / 250g Fettuccine (or other long-cut pasta)
- 2 tbsp / 30g cold Unsalted Butter, diced into small cubes
- 1/4 cup / 20g freshly grated Parmesan
- finely diced Fresh Parsley
Instructions
- Add the seasoning mix to a large mixing bowl, then remove 1 tsp and store to one side. Add the tenders to the bowl, alongside 1 tbsp oil, then toss until fully coated.
- Place a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt 1 tbsp butter, then add the tenders. Fry each side for around 3 minutes and 30 seconds, or until lightly charred and just cooked through the centre. Remove and place on a plate to one side, then reduce the heat slightly to medium.
- Melt 1 tbsp butter, then add the remaining 1 tsp of seasoning and gently toast for 30 seconds or so. Pour in the stock, then increase the heat slightly and simmer for 2 minutes to reduce it slightly.
- Lower the heat again to medium and add the cream. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring frequently to ensure everything binds. Stir in the resting juices from the chicken, then swiftly stir in the remaining 1/2 tbsp of butter until it blends into the sauce.
- Add the chicken, coat in the sauce and simmer for 1 minute so the chicken seasoning can marry with the sauce. Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve with parsley if desired, then tuck in and enjoy!
- Optional side: Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain, reserving around 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Off the heat, add the pasta back to the pot (or a separate bowl) and toss with the butter and a splash of pasta water until the butter melts and coats the pasta. Add the parmesan, along with another splash of pasta water if needed, then keep tossing until it melts and forms a lightly creamy, glossy sauce that clings to the pasta. It shouldn’t be watery at all. Season with salt if needed.
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
