Creamy Cajun Chicken
This Creamy Cajun Chicken is the best quick weeknight dinner! This one pan chicken recipe is low carb, easy, and ready in under 30 minutes.
One Pan Chicken
This Creamy Cajun Chicken is incredibly juicy and covered in a simple sauce that pairs well with nearly everything! In this quick meal, you don’t have to worry about overcooked or dry chicken. Even the leanest chicken breast comes out tender and full of flavor with this easy one pan recipe.
Why you’ll love it
- EASY: This one pan meal requires little cleanup and has a short ingredients list! It’s a forgiving recipe with simple instructions. A meat thermometer makes it easy to tell when your chicken is ready!
- QUICK: Cutting the chicken breasts in half gives you four quickly cooked chicken cutlets perfect for a busy weeknight. A simple air fryer veggie would make this a simple, healthy, fast meal.
- VERSATILE: You can easily adjust this recipe to more or less spicy depending on your preferences. This seasoning blend goes with so many vegetables making this an inexpensive, accessible meal all year round.
Creamy Cajun Chicken Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this recipe. For exact measurements, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card near the bottom of the page.
- Chicken Breasts – Boneless, skinless. You could use chicken thighs if you prefer, but they likely will be finished sooner, so check frequently with a meat thermometer.
- Garlic powder, Onion powder, Chili powder, Paprika, Dried oregano, Kosher salt, Cayenne pepper (optional) – This is a great all-purpose seasoning blend with a hint of Cajun-inspired spices! If you don’t enjoy spicy food, you can leave out the cayenne all together.
- Olive oil, Salted butter, Heavy cream – Extra virgin olive oil generally has a high enough smoke point to work, but you could use an avocado oil or your favorite cooking oil. If you use unsalted butter, you may need to add more salt later.
How to Make Creamy Cajun Chicken
This easy one-pan dinner is gives the perfect juicy chicken in a creamy, rich sauce. Here’s a step-by-step guide to making this simple weeknight meal.
Season chicken
Dry and trim your chicken breasts, removing any excess fats or loose bits. In a small bowl, mix together spices. Sprinkle seasoning blend over each side of the chicken breasts to coat.
Brown chicken
Heat a large skillet to medium heat, then add olive oil and one tablespoon of the butter. Once melted, add chicken to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
Tip: Give the chicken breasts space in the pan if possible. This leads to a better sear and more even cook.
Make sauce
Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the heavy cream, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan for added flavor. Add in remaining butter and allow the mixture to slowly come to a simmer. Stir occasionally, allowing the sauce to simmer softly for 3-4 minutes.
Simmer
Add chicken back to the skillet with the simmering sauce and cover with a lid. Cook over medium-low for 6-10 minutes or until chicken reaches 165 degrees F as measured by a meat thermometer. Be gentle with the sauce–Low and slow is a safer approach to prevent the sauce from curdling or burning.
Serve
This Creamy Cajun Chicken is so versatile and can go with nearly any side dish! Sprinkle on some fresh herbs and serve with a side of Air Fryer Broccoli or Green Beans as well as some Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (or Mashed Cauliflower to keep it low carb). Add a Keto Dinner Roll and a Keto Lemon Drop for a full, super flavorful meal with very few carbs.
STORAGE & REHEATING
- FRIDGE – Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
- FREEZER – You can freeze this dish up to 3 months in a freezer bag, then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating. The freezing process can cause the sauce to separate, but thawing slowly can help prevent that.
- REHEATING – The easiest way to reheat an individual portion is in the microwave–Just blast in 1-minute increments on 50% until warmed throughout. When reheating a full portion or previously-frozen, opt to reheat in a skillet. Place skillet on low, pour in chicken and sauce, cover with a lid, and stir occasionally until heated through. If sauce begins to separate, add 1-2 tablespoons of warm broth or water and stir to incorporate.
If you like this one pan chicken, you’ll love these easy weeknight meals:
- Chicken Florentine – This easy white wine sauce with spinach and chicken is decadent without being unhealthy!
- Pesto Chicken – SO full of flavor and a huge burst of summer garden flavor. Amazing with tomatoes!
- Easy Chicken Piccata – Lightly breaded, buttery and citrusy, and perfectly salty from tasty capers. Seems complicated but is an easy, fancy dinner!
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken – This low carb one-pan chicken has a rich, buttery sauce that pairs perfectly with everything!
- Cheesy Rotel Chicken – Super easy dinner that the kids will love! This family dinner is simple, cheesy, and tender.
Creamy Chicken FAQs
Yes, this cream sauce can be frozen without too much trouble. There is a chance it will separate–This is more likely to happen when the sauce cools or heats up too quickly. The easiest way to avoid a broken sauce is by allowing the sauce to cool slowly before freezing, then allowing it to thaw slowly overnight in the fridge. When reheating, microwave on 50% power or heat slowly over low heat in a skillet, stirring occasionally.
The great flavor of this dish comes from a blend of spices with a Cajun profile. Cajun seasoning usually has paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cayenne, pepper, chili pepper. Most of the heat from this blend comes from the cayenne, so you can eliminate that if you’re sensitive to spice.
Creamy Cajun Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts cut lengthwise to make 4 thinner breast cutlets
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
Instructions
- Combine the spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle each side of the chicken breast with the spices.
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter is melted add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the heavy cream and scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the butter and allow the mixture to slowly come to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- When the sauce has simmered softly for 3-4 minutes add the chicken back to the skillet and cover.
- Cook the chicken over medium-low for 6-10 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
I’m best at seafood and usually make bland, dry chicken. My wife texted this recipe to me as a hint. This was quick, easy, tasty as heck, tender and, well, gone in no time. Paired well with sautéed spinach, rice and mushrooms – which were drizzled with the extra sauce.
Excellent recipe! All my guests loved it. This paired perfectly with Basmati rice and spinach soufflé. This is a keeper!
I used this recipe for our Thanksgiving meal instead of turkey this year. It was a hit! None left at all. Gonna throw it in our usual rotation. So so good! 😋
Good first try. Really good. Going to try it again