Creamy Cajun Chicken Skillet

Cajun-seasoned chicken swaddled in a creamy sauce, this skillet recipe is quick and easy to make but packed with flavor! It starts with Holy Trinity of bell peppers, onions, and celery, then adds plenty of Cajun seasoning, and just the right amount of cream to add a perfect richness. Delicious over mashed potatoes, cauliflower, rice, or pasta.

🥘 What Makes This Recipe So Good

• This creamy cajun chicken skillet is packed with irresistible flavor! From the holy trinity- peppers, onions, and celery, to the spiced Cajun seasoning, and the perfect amount of cream to create a rich sauce. Pair it with mashed potatoes, cauliflower, rice, or pasta noodles. The whole family will love this incredible meal!
• It’s a simple and totally foolproof recipe. You probably already have most of these ingredients on hand, and it comes together in no time at all. This method produces perfectly tender and juicy chicken, so there’s no need to guess or worry over if your chicken is fully cooked or not!

• Everything is done in one skillet, which means less cleanup! Perfect for busy weeknights, or just any time you’re craving an easy and flavorful low-effort meal. It’s so delicious, it’s sure to earn a spot in your regular meal rotation!

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• The food safe internal temperature for chicken breasts is 165° Fahrenheit, but you’ll want to remove the chicken from the skillet once it reaches 160°F inside. The residual heat will keep cooking the chicken as it rests, bringing it up where it needs to be. You’ll be adding it back to the skillet for a few minutes at the end of the process, where it will finish cooking. If you were to cook it to 165°F right off the bat, the chicken would be dry and tough by the time you sit down to eat it.

• Dairy products can easily curdle if they’re too cold when added to hot ingredients. Make sure your heavy cream is at room temperature before adding it to the skillet. Doing so will ensure perfectly smooth, creamy sauce for this irresistible creamy cajun chicken skillet!

🍗 We Can’t Get Enough Chicken

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• Crispy Chicken Fritta (Olive Garden Copycat)
• Chicken Ranchero

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Creamy Cajun Chicken Skillet

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 30 minutes minutes

Total 45 minutes minutes

This flavorful one-pan entrée features tender, juicy, Cajun-seasoned chicken in a rich & creamy sauce. Ready in 30 minutes, it goes well with your choice of mashed potatoes, rice, cauliflower, or pasta.

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4 servings

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Equipment

• Cutting board
• Large skillet
• Tongs
• internal meat thermometer
• Large plate
• Large wooden spoon

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• ▢ 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts approximately 8-10 ounces each
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning plus more to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon neutral oil avocado oil, olive oil, etc.

For the Cream Sauce

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 cup holy trinity ⅓ cup each chopped white onion, chopped celery, and chopped green bell pepper; fresh or frozen
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic peeled, minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper more or less to taste
• ▢ ¼ cup dry white wine or ¼ low-sodium chicken stock
• ▢ ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock
• ▢ 1 cup heavy cream at room temperature
• ▢ salt to taste

Instructions

• Place 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts on cutting board. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning over chicken breasts on both sides, adding more seasoning to taste.
• Place large skillet on stovetop over medium-high heat. When skillet is warm, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and tilt or swirl pan to distribute oil across entire surface. Continue heating skillet until oil is hot and shimmery.
• When oil is ready, place seasoned chicken breasts in skillet. Sear chicken 3 to 5 minutes or until golden.
• Flip chicken over and sear 3 to 5 minutes on other side, or until chicken reaches internal temperature of 162° Fahrenheit. Once chicken reaches target internal temperature, transfer chicken to plate and set aside.
• Return skillet to stovetop and reduce heat to medium, then add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Let butter melt, swirling and tilting pan occasionally to distribute butter across surface.
• Once butter has melted, add 1 cup holy trinity. Stir to incorporate, then sauté onions, celery, and bell pepper 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened and onions are translucent.
• Add 4 cloves garlic and stir to incorporate. Sauté garlic 30 to 60 seconds or until fragrant. Once garlic is fragrant, add 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning and ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper and stir to incorporate.
• Pour ¼ cup dry white wine into skillet and stir, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits of food that may have stuck to surface. Once pan is deglazed, raise heat to medium-high and bring liquid to boil.
• Once liquid begins to boil, immediately reduce heat to medium-low. Let mixture simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid has reduced by approximately 50%.
• Add ½ cup low-sodium chicken stock and stir to incorporate, then let mixture simmer until liquid has reduced by approximately 25%.
• Reduce heat under skillet to low. Remove skillet from heat and let cool slightly, then slowly pour in 1 cup heavy cream (at room temperature). Stir to incorporate cream, then return skillet to stovetop over low heat.
• Add salt to taste and stir to incorporate, then return chicken breasts to skillet. Spoon sauce over tops of chicken breasts.
• Transfer chicken to serving plates with mashed potatoes, cauliflower, rice, pasta, or zoodles. Spoon remaining sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

• Chicken: Be sure to use chicken breasts (or chicken thighs) that are roughly the same size and thickness, otherwise they’ll cook at different rates.
• Dry White Wine: I recommend Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
• Make it Alcohol Free: Replace the wine with ¼ cup chicken stock.
• Make it Dairy Free: Use a plant-based butter and replace the heavy cream with full-fat, unsweetened coconut cream (from a can).
• Make it Gluten Free: Double-check that your chicken stock is 100% gluten free. 

Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 653calProtein: 63gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 264mgSodium: 443mgPotassium: 1233mgTotal Carbs: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gNet Carbs: 6gVitamin A: 2877IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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