Creamy Cajun Chicken

A skillet of cajun chicken with a creamy red sauce.

5 from 2 votes

Creamy Cajun Chicken combines lightly breaded chicken with a creamy sauce that includes parmesan cheese, tomatoes, and cajun spices. A simple dinner that is impressive at the same time! Serve this over rice or pasta, with a side of veggies!

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword creamy cajun chicken

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings servings

Calories 405kcal

Author Sue Ringsdorf

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds chicken breasts - three breasts, butterflied and cut in half
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2-3 Tablespoons cajun seasoning
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups cherry tomatoes - halved
30 oz. fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup whole milk
4 oz. parmesan cheese (plus more to serve) - freshly grated
rice or pasta - to serve

Instructions

Prepare chicken. Butterfly the chicken breasts and slice in half. Combine the flour, salt and pepper, and cajun seasoning in a bowl, and dip the breasts in the mixture coating both sides.
2 pounds chicken breasts, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2-3 Tablespoons cajun seasoning
Brown the chicken. Heat up a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add olive oil and then three thin chicken breasts to the pan. Brown both sides of the chicken and cook until they are close to being done, approximately 10 minutes. Remove and repeat with the remaining three breasts.
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Make the sauce. To the empty pan, add the butter until melted, scraping the bottom of the pan to release all those bits. Add the flour/spices that weren’t used for breading the chicken, and stir until well absorbed.
Then add the diced (canned) tomatoes and the fresh tomatoes and bring to a boil. After a few minutes, add the milk and reduce heat to a simmer. When the sauce is thickened a bit, add the parmesan cheese and stir.
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 30 oz. fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 1 cup whole milk, 4 oz. parmesan cheese (plus more to serve)
Finish the chicken. Place the browned chicken back in the skillet and cook for a few more minutes, until warmed and completely cooked through.
Check to make sure the chicken is 160 degrees on a digital thermometer. It should carry-over cook after removing, and come to about 165 degrees for safe consumption.
Serve. Serve the chicken over rice, pasta, or sautéed.veggies. Add a few spoonful of sauce, and finish with some freshly ground black pepper.
rice or pasta

Notes

Expert Tips:

Make sure the chicken is fairly uniform in size. You’ll want to butterfly the chicken breasts, especially if they are large. Make sure the chicken is pretty even in size.
It’s fine to use store-bought cajun seasoning. I know you can make your own cajun seasoning, but store-bought is fine (and delicious)!
The sauce is key. I love the sauce and it’s nice to have extra. The sauce might soak up into the rice, so having more than less is optimal!
Use a digital thermometer to check for doneness. Use a digital thermometer when cooking the chicken. You’ll want to cook it to at least 160 degrees when browning, and then finish off in the sauce.
Serve it over rice, pasta, or a variety of veggies (for that low-carb option). We love this over rice, but the sky is the limit!

Nutrition