Cajun Style Chicken

This is one of our favorite dinner dishes.  It seems like a million years ago now, I was looking for something easy for dinner and found  this recipe.  I cannot, for the life of me, remember now where I found it, but we loved it so much that for a while there, I cooked it every month at least once.

The best part (besides, obviously, the flavor) is how easy it is to make.  With only a handful of ingredients you create something incredibly flavorful and comforting, with just a hint of Cajun kick to it.  It’s very easily adjustable and goes well with almost any starchy side — potatoes, rice, noodles — whatever you happen to have on hand. And if you don’t have anything, guess what, the smooth and pretty sauce is just as good for dipping crusty bread in it.

If you are willing to try it, I think shrimp will work just as great as chicken here.   Most important part is to grasp the idea of how it’s all put together.   The rest is up to you.  The original recipe, if I remember it correctly,  didn’t call for garlic and lemon juice.  I personally like lemon juice and garlic in everything, so I added some.   To me, it was a clear win, without sacrificing the original taste.

Here is What and How, for this batch:

Cajun Style Chicken

• 2 chicken breast halves, sliced 1/4″ to 1/3″ thick crosswise
• 1-1/2 tbsp Cajun/Creole seasoning
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into rectangles, about 1″ across
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and cut into rectangles, about 1″ across
• 3-4 scallions, cut into 1″ pieces
• a handful of portobello mushrooms, thickly sliced (about 5-6 medium mushrooms)
• 1/4 lemon wedge (juice)
• 1 cup cream
• 1/2 tbsp dry basil (optional)
• fresh ground black pepper, salt to taste
• fresh basil (optional)
• grated Parmesan (optional)

Slice chicken crosswise, and toss with Cajun seasoning until evenly coated.  Set aside for a few minutes.

Slice all the vegetables and set aside.

Melt butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and saute for a minute or so until fragrant.

Add in the chicken slices and cook on medium until juices run clear and chicken is lightly browned on all sides.

Add vegetables at first, and saute for a few minutes, until slightly wilted.  Add salt and pepper at this point.

Add mushrooms and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Squeeze lemon juice, and toss everything together well one last time.

Add cream and dry basil. Heat through, reduce heat to simmer and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Cream will turn beautiful peachy pink color from seasoning. Don’t overcook, as vegetables will lose color and cream starts to separate.

Remove from heat and added shredded or torn basil leaves.

Serve hot over starchy side, or with crusty bread. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan into each plate, if desire.