Cajun Spiced Smothered Chicken
Oh this Cajun Spiced Smothered Chicken. I LOVE this chicken. Adapted from a wonderfully written recipe from The Washington Post, this recipe includes all the greatest hits of a one-ish pan dinner – crispy chicken thighs, a creamy sauce, caramelized onions, and a great spice blend. Easily the best part of this dish is that AMAZING sauce that puts the “smothered” aspect of this chicken into focus. The sauce adds a great, cozy quality to any meal with sweet onions and a litttttttle heat from the cajun seasoning.
Some background – I grew up in a “sauce” household. My family does not appreciate dry chicken…other than a great tandoori chicken (obviously). Curry was usually on the menu. Or pasta with PLENTY of pasta sauce. Even on nights when chicken nuggets came up, they were always well ketchup-ed, as were french fries. You get the point though – we are a sauce family. This is why I’m especially attached to this chicken and the sauce, which adds dimension to the dish and keeps it (and everything you serve with it) from getting dry.
Despite all the fanciness of the chicken and the sauce, this recipe is actually very simple to put together. You’ll just need to budget time for cooking on the stovetop and for the whole thing to go into the oven. We pan-pry chicken thighs to get a nice sear on the edges, separately fry up some onions, then put everything back in the pan and right into the oven with salt, chicken broth, white wine, and flour. When you serve – grab some chicken, veggies, and carbs and smother the whole thing in that beautiful sauce.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok! Hashtag them #thehappyhaandi. And tag me @thehappyhaandi.
Cajun Spiced Smothered Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Cast Iron Pan (Skillet)
Ingredients
- 8 Chicken Thighs
- 2 Purple Onions (sliced) medium
- 4-5 cloves Garlic
- 3 tbsp Cajun Seasoning We used McCormick brand!
- 1/2 cup White Wine Pinot Grigio
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- 3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
For the Smothered Chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the packaging and lightly pat dry. Add the cajun seasoning blend evenly to both sides of each thigh.
- In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add a little oil. When it becomes hot (almost smoking) - add the chicken thighs skin side down.
- After 5-6 minutes (check to prevent scorching), turn each thigh over, cooking on the other side for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the chicken to a plate (Don't worry! We'll cook them through in a little bit).
- Turn the heat to medium-low and add the onions. Cook them in the pan for about 10-15 minutes allowing them to be fully translucent but not burned. If the pan starts smoking or appears dry, you can add small amounts of water or some additional white wine to help the moisture content.
- Once the onions are cooked, add the garlic and fry for an additional 30 seconds.
- Next, remove from the heat and add the flour, white wine, and chicken broth to the pan. Stir to make sure the flour is fully incorporated and not lumping anywhere.
- Add the chicken thighs back into the pan.
- Put the whole pan into the oven for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Serve hot with rice, crusty bread, and some of that leftover white wine!
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