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!
With my little one growing and becoming more active by the day, I've been living for quick and easy meals that don't require a lot of fuss. My time at home has been spent running up and down the stairs, prepping bottles, cleaning up, and just trying to keep my head attached to my body!
I made this meal with this in mind - because let's be clear, aren't we all just out here, busy as ever?! What does we deserve as a treat for just getting through the day? A darn good meal.
Hence as to why I made this crazy delicious and flavorful cajun chicken and rice recipe.
Out with the mundane weeknight dinners. This Cajun Chicken and Rice is here to save the day! Step aside boring weeknight meals, we're adding some flavor to the mix! This recipe will easily become a family favorite meal that everyone will love.
Not to mention, this meal makes for some awesome leftovers in case you can't finish everything in one sitting. I made a big pot of this and have been eating it throughout the week and I swear, with every day that goes by, it tastes EVEN BETTER.
Also, I teamed up with Calphalon to bring you this delicious! I used their 10 inch Premier Hard Anodized Nonstick Fry Pan in this recipe and it cooks like a dream! Head to their website to pick up your pan and make this recipe!
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!
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!
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.
Tips for making cajun chicken and rice
If you're sensitive to spice, reduce the amount of cayenne pepper in the cajun seasoning.
I highly recommend using a 10-inch Calphalon fry pan - they're amazing and make making this recipe so smooth. Easy clean up too!
Consider using Calphalon Premier Cookware as well as their Antimicrobial Cutlery to make this dish. Their cookware and cutlery are easy to use and clean, have superior nonstick coating, and are both oven AND dishwasher safe! I have a 25% code 'BRITNEY25' so that you can get your cookware at a great price!
This blog post for Cajun Chicken and Rice was made in partnership with Calphalon! I received compensation in exchange for this work. My opinions on their products are genuine. If I didn't love their products, I would certainly mention it! Thanks for your continued support!
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Let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! Also, if you decide to make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and leave a comment below! Tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can see your creations! I hope that you love this recipe as much as we do!
Super flavorful, easy, and fun - Chicken coated in homemade cajun seasoning seared with bacon, and then cooked with rice in a cajun sauce.
Serving: 6servings
Prep Time: 15 minutesmins
Cook Time: 35 minutesmins
Total Time: 50 minutesmins
Calories: 594kcal
Equipment
12-inch Skillet
Ingredients
Cajun Seasoning
2tbspssmoked paprika
1tbspgarlic powder
1tbsponion powder
2tspchili powder
2tspthyme
2tsporegano
1tspcayenne pepper
Chicken and Rice
1yellow onion, diced
2bell peppers, diced
3stalkscelery, diced
4chicken breasts
6piecesbacon, sliced
2cupswhite rice
4cupschicken stock
2lemons
⅓cuptomato paste
½cupheavy cream
4clovesgarlic, diced
Directions
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.
I was getting bored of my usual chicken breast routine so was glad to come across this recipe to liven things up a bit. This was absolutely DELICIOUS! It came together so quickly and the flavors were out of this world. I also love that I could make a batch of the cajun spice to have on hand for next time which will make this even faster.
I love the smokey flavor the bacon gave to this cajun and chicken rice. It was a great meal for our dinner tonight and I'll definitely be making this more often.
This recipe is so freakin' delicious. My whole family LOVED it. Def making again.
Thank you so much!
This is one of the best recipes I've made in while! Definitely bookmarking this one.
Thank you!
I made this chicken and rice for a few family members who were visiting. This hardy recipe is tasty and serves plenty. My folks loved it!
This chicken and rice was so hearty and comforting. It’s quite chilly in the UK at the moment so this is just what I needed.
I've made this dish a couple of times now and it's SO good. The whole family enjoys and I appreciate how simple it is!
I was getting bored of my usual chicken breast routine so was glad to come across this recipe to liven things up a bit. This was absolutely DELICIOUS! It came together so quickly and the flavors were out of this world. I also love that I could make a batch of the cajun spice to have on hand for next time which will make this even faster.
I'm always looking for one pot meals and this one did not disappoint. I substituted the rice for quinoa - the family devoured it.
I love anything Cajun and this meal was excellent! Swapped out the heavy cream for half and half and it was still so yummy! Will be making it again
I love the smokey flavor the bacon gave to this cajun and chicken rice. It was a great meal for our dinner tonight and I'll definitely be making this more often.
I'm so happy that you enjoyed it, thanks for your feedback!
This is a beautiful recipe... I love cajun Chicken, and this recipe is just what I needed. Thanks for sharing. ☺️
I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!