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This creamy Cajun chicken recipe has juicy, golden pan-fried chicken in a boldly seasoned cream sauce. It’s ready in just 30 minutes for an easy, elegant meal!
Craving another restaurant-worthy chicken dish at home? Try my Creamy Tuscan Chicken next.
Why you’ll love it
This Cajun-inspired chicken recipe has a bit of kick, but I wouldn’t describe it as too spicy or anything! It’s all about warm flavors with a zing. I can’t resist bringing you more really simple yet special skillet chicken recipes.
Cajun seasoning is so versatile, but this might be my favorite recipe I’ve come up with that features it. It’s bright and zesty but mellowed by the cream and parmesan, resulting in a beautiful sauce for the tender chicken. Quick, tasty, and impressive? You bet.
What you’ll need
- Chicken – we’re using two boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise to cook faster and more evenly
- Garlic powder – to infuse more flavor right on the chicken cutlets
- Cajun seasoning – I use Tony Chachere’s no-salt seasoning
- Flour – for dredging to get a nice crust on the chicken and thicken the sauce a touch
- Butter and olive oil – for pan frying
- Garlic – for more savory goodness
- Sun-dried tomatoes – I find the ones packed in oil are the best for a pop of juicy tomato flavor
- Chicken broth – the base of the sauce
- Heavy cream – for that luxurious quality
- Parmesan – a dusting of cheese tops it all off!
Pro tip
- For this particular recipe, I used a salt-free Cajun seasoning because many Cajun seasonings are quite salty and could ruin the recipe with the amount that’s required. I strongly recommend going with a low or no-salt variety.
What is Cajun seasoning?
- If you’re wondering what’s in Cajun seasoning, it usually contains garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt. It’s easy enough to make your own (try this Homemade Cajun Seasoning), but I usually go with Tony’s for convenience.
How to make Cajun chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cut the chicken breasts lengthwise to make the four cutlets, season them with garlic powder, some of the Cajun seasoning, and salt & pepper, coat in flour, and fry until golden brown. Take out and set aside on a plate.
To the skillet, add the chicken broth, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes. Let it bubble, then reduce the heat and stir in the cream. Add the remaining Cajun seasoning.
Return the chicken to the pan, and cook it through as the sauce thickens a bit. Sprinkle on the parm or stir right into the sauce. Give it a taste, and add salt & pepper if it needs it. Garnish with parsley if desired.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- Chicken is safe to eat (and not overcooked!) at 165F. An instant read thermometer is an inexpensive way to ensure it’s perfect.
- A chef’s knife is a handy tool for cutting the chicken.
- Use a block of parmesan for maximum freshness and taste, and grate it with this grater.
Substitutions and variations
- You could make it spicy beyond the kick it has by adding a pinch of cayenne pepper or some red pepper flakes.
- If you’re really not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, you could chop up a fresh tomato instead.
- I wouldn’t recommending substituting the heavy cream for something else. It’s only been tested as written, and you’re liable to end up with a sauce that separates or simply doesn’t taste as good!
What to serve with creamy Cajun chicken
- For a starch, try serving it over pasta or with rice. My Crockpot Mashed Potatoes are a great option too, or try my Roasted Red Potatoes.
- My Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts or Easy Glazed Carrots make good vegetable sides to offset the richness.
- Want a salad? I think you’ll like my Lemon Tahini Dressing to change it up.
Leftovers and storage
- It’s best fresh, but the standard 3-4 days in the fridge for leftovers of this chicken recipe will be just fine.
- Reheat in a saucepan on the stove for best results. Try a low heat and slowly so it doesn’t dry out.
- I don’t suggest freezing leftovers of this one because of the cream.
If you give this easy Cajun chicken recipe a go, leave a star rating and review below! You can also ask any questions the blog post didn’t answer. As always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram with your creations.
Creamy Cajun Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (use a no or low salt variety)
- Flour for dredging
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so you have four thinner cutlets. Sprinkle them with salt & pepper, garlic powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of the Cajun seasoning. Coat them in flour.
- Add the butter and oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken. Cook it for 4-5 min/side or until it's nice and golden. Take the chicken out of the pan and set it aside.
- Add the minced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and chicken broth to the pan. Let it bubble for about 30 seconds or so.
- Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the cream and remaining 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning.
- Add the chicken back into the pan and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until the sauce is thickened a bit and the chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over top (or stir it into the sauce). Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.
Notes
- There’s quite a bit of Cajun seasoning in this recipe, so I strongly encourage you to use one without salt because the recipe will be way too salty otherwise. I used Tony Chachere’s No Salt Creole Seasoning.
- I used oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes and drained the oil prior to adding them to the pan.
- If you have smaller chicken breasts, you can leave them whole, but you may need to cook them a little longer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on January 9, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Natasha
I tried to subscribe to your recipes, you said you sent me an emal to confirm I have not as yet received an email from you
I like your “Creamy Cajun Chicken” recipe, my stove is not working so can I bake the
recipe in my oven, I do hope so, can you let me know how i adjust the recipe to bake it
Hope you can help me
My regards
Vera H.
Hi Vera! We have no record of your email address in our system, so please try again. As for adjusting this recipe, I am not sure how you’d adjust to fully do it in the oven. You may need to do a bit of experimenting, but I’m concerned that you won’t get the sear on the chicken, and sometimes cream sauces don’t fare too well in the oven. I would probably just try a different recipe that’s fully cooked in the oven such as this one: https://bit.ly/3TOlcJY
Can you add fresh spinach to this recipe?
Absolutely! I’d add it in towards the end so it wilts for a few minutes. Enjoy!
Can I ask is chicken broth just chicken stock ?
Pretty much. It’s not exactly the same (I assume you’re not in North America) but stock will work just as well. 🙂
Wonderful recipe! Fast and easy weeknight meal. I’m slow and had this on the table in 35 minutes. I hacked it by using boneless skinless chicken tenders and Bob Evans mashed potatoes because that cream sauce is dynamite! I did slice my roasted red peppers
So happy you enjoyed it, Mary!! 😀
The sauce is amazing. Followed the instructions and had no issues! Thank you!
Yay!! I’m so glad it was a hit! 😀
I just made this recipe today. We are a family of five and we all loved it. All of us stood to get a second plate. So flavorful. I served it with spaghettis. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
That’s so nice to hear!! 🙂
This recipe is delicious! I double the sauce and toss some on linguine noodles and top them with crispy prosciutto bits.. it really sets it off just right.. thank you!!!
So happy you like it! Love the crispy prosciutto idea!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I found the salt free Tony chacheres seasoning. I may double this recipe. I’m glad you give extra information with this recipe for example if the chicken breasts are smaller you can leave them whole and cook longer and estimation of how long to cook per side. I’m relatively a noob in the kitchen because my husband is the cook in my family but he works a lot and these extra tidbits help me when I’m cooking. Thank you. Can’t wait to try
Hi Courtney!! I’m so glad you’re going to give this recipe a try. 🙂 Your best bet is to use an instant read meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken breasts are cooked to 165F in the middle. They’re inexpensive, take about 5 seconds to use, and take the guesswork out. You can watch a tutorial on YouTube to see how they work. That’s one of the ways I learn new cooking techniques myself. It’s so easy to overcook chicken breasts, so I highly recommend getting one. A “little longer” could mean anything from another minute per side to even longer… but every piece of chicken, stove, pan, etc. is different, so that’s just a wild guess, and for safety reasons, it’s important that chicken is cooked to 165F minimum.
Thank you for the the pro tips! I will buy the instant thermometer on Amazon. You are right, things vary so much from kitchen to kitchen so I love seeing all the tips on your recipes. Some recipes online are so vague that You have to rely on your cooking skills and where I’m growing in this area the tips are greatly appreciated.
I definitely pride myself on making recipes easy to understand for novice cooks. 🙂 I’m so happy you’re finding the tips helpful. Let me know how this recipe goes for you!
Love this recipe. I also tried this on fish and it was amazing. Cooked it the same way.
That’s awesome!! 🙂
Looking forward to this but I do not understand why this is cajun when you say… “I used Tony Chachere’s No Salt Creole Seasoning.” Huh? Cajun and Creole are two different cuisines.
Hi Jane! You may be interested to read up on Tony’s rich history of both Cajun and Creole cooking here: https://www.tonychachere.com/our-roots/
Enjoy the recipe 🙂