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Super flavorful, easy, and fun – these all describe this delicious Cajun Chicken and Rice recipe! Chicken coated in homemade cajun seasoning seared with bacon, the holy trinity (celery, peppers, and onions), and then cooked with rice in a creamy cajun sauce. This easy weeknight meal is here to spice up your week!
Looking for more Cajun-inspired recipes? Don’t miss this Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya, Salmon New Orleans or Louisiana Style Red Beans and Rice!
This Cajun Chicken and Rice recipe is the kind of meal that checks every box—hearty, flavorful, and ridiculously easy to throw together.
It’s made with juicy chicken breasts, smoky bacon, and the Cajun holy trinity (onion, bell pepper, and celery) for a base that’s packed with flavor. The rice soaks up all that goodness from the tomato paste, chicken stock, and spices, so every bite is loaded with flavor.
Then we stir in a splash of heavy cream to make it creamy and rich without being too heavy. A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens everything up and ties all the flavors together.
It’s a one-pan meal, which means minimal cleanup but maximum flavor. This dish is cozy, bold, and just the right amount of spicy. Perfect for weeknights when you want something comforting but still a little exciting!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Big, bold flavor – It’s packed with smoky bacon, savory spices, creamy richness, and just the right kick of heat—every bite is layered and satisfying.
- One-pan magic – Everything cooks together, so the rice soaks up all the flavor from the chicken, veggies, and broth—less mess, more flavor.
- Comfort food with a twist – It’s cozy and hearty like a classic casserole but has that Cajun flair that makes it feel fresh, exciting, and a little spicy.
Key Ingredients
- Yellow Onion, Bell Pepper, and Celery – aka the “holy trinity” of Cajun cooking. Together, they provide a ton of flavor and texture to the dish. Use any leftovers and make my seafood gumbo recipe next!
- Chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs are best for this dish! Just be sure not to overcook.
- Bacon adds smoky, salty flavor and renders fat that enhances the entire dish. It’s a great flavor booster that complements the chicken and veggies.
- Long Grain White Rice soaks up all the bold flavors from the stock, tomato paste, and seasonings. It becomes tender without becoming mushy!
- Chicken stock adds moisture and a deep savory flavor, helping to cook the rice and tie everything together.
- Lemon juice brightens the dish and balances out the richness from the bacon and cream.
- Tomato paste adds a slight tanginess and subtle sweetness that deepens the flavor of the rice. It gives the dish that signature reddish too!
- Heavy cream makes the dish rich, smooth, and slightly indulgent. It mellows the heat and pulls all the flavors together into a cohesive, creamy finish.
- Garlic adds a ton of flavor to the dish that complements the Cajun spices. It infuses the dish with flavor as it cooks, especially when sautéed with the onions and bacon fat.
Recipe substitutions
- To make this recipe dairy free, you can you can omit the butter and swap out heavy cream for non-dairy milk or coconut cream.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free so no worries there!
- For vegan options, you can use your favorite vegan chicken or tofu and season accordingly. Also, swap out butter for vegan butter.
How To Make Cajun Chicken And Rice
Now we’re getting to the good part! Let’s do a quick chat as to how to make this cajun chicken and rice.
- Season chicken with cajun seasoning and chop bacon into tiny bits. Add bacon to a skillet over medium low heat and allow the fat to render out and the bacon to become crispy.
- Increase the heat to medium high and add chicken. Sear on both sides. Remove chicken from the pan and add celery, peppers, and onions. Let everything cook down and come together then add rice and butter and toast the rice until the butter is melted.
- Add chicken stock and add the chicken back to the pot and cook until the chicken stock is fully absorbed and rice is fluffy, about 15-20 minutes.
- In a separate pan, combine garlic, tomato paste, heavy cream, and cajun seasoning and cook on low until mixture begin to thicken. Pour on top of rice and mix together. Slice chicken and enjoy!
Here’s a video tutorial on how to make it!
What To Eat With Cajun Chicken and Rice
There are SO many delicious food pairings for this Cajun Chicken and Rice recipe. For starters, cornbread! Omg, cornbread with this dish is insanely delicious! My skillet cornbread and my brown butter bacon and jalapeno cornbread are excellent options!
Don’t forget about my garlic butter dinner rolls too, perfect with this dish!
Soup and or salad also work really well here too! Might I mention, this dish is amazing on its own but by golly, adding something with it makes it even better!
Pro Chef Tips
- If you’re sensitive to spice, reduce the amount of cayenne pepper in the cajun seasoning.
- Use a long grain white rice to prevent the rice from becoming mushy.
- Don’t overcook the chicken – it’ll dry out!
More Cajun Recipes You’ll Love!
- Crispy Shrimp Po’boy with Old Bay Sauce
- Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad
- Southern Chicken and Waffles
- Cajun Steak Sandwich
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
- New Orleans Style Beignets
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
Easy Cajun Chicken and Rice
Equipment
- 12-inch Skillet
Ingredients
Cajun Seasoning
- 2 tbsps smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp thyme
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
Chicken and Rice
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 4 chicken breasts
- 6 pieces bacon, sliced
- 2 cups white rice
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 lemons
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine ingredients for cajun seasoning – smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, thyme, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Mix together.
- Season chicken with half of the cajun seasoning (the rest will be used later in the recipe) and salt and pepper as desired. Add sliced bacon to a skillet over medium low heat. Allow bacon to cook and render out the fat, about 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Add 1 tbsp butter and a drizzle of olive and and increase the heat to medium. Add chicken and sear on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.
- Remove chicken from the skillet onto a plate. Add onions, peppers, and celery to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of the cajun seasoning. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until everything begins to soften and become fragrant.
- Add rice and stir into the vegetables. Add chicken stock, squeeze one lemon, and add chicken back into the skillet. Bring to a boil and then cover with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- In a separate skillet or saucepan, add heavy cream, diced garlic, tomato paste, and remaining cajun seasoning. Heat over low heat until mixture begins to thicken. Then squeeze lemon juice into the sauce and remove from the heat. Whisk ingredients together to ensure lemon juice is fully incorporated. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Once rice is finished, pour sauce into the skillet with the chicken and rice. Mix together. Slice chicken and toss together.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh. My. God. This recipe is so insanely good I always double it to have extra left overs. It reheats well too!
I never usually comment on recipes, but this needs more recognition. 🤝 If you’re thinking about making this, DO IT!!!! So flavorful, especially when adding the bacon back into the rice. Have made it twice and one of the only dishes with leftovers gone.
Omg thank you so much!!
Very flavorful dish. Really enjoyed it.
I’m so glad, thank you!
This dish will make your family think you were in the kitchen all day. It was so quick and easy to prepare. But the highlight of this dish was that you could taste every spice you put into it. The chicken came out moist and tender. The flavors complemented and blended so well. Making it again on game night. I feel like a real chef everytime I make one of her dishes.
This recipe is so freakin’ delicious. My whole family LOVED it. Def making again.
Thank you so much!