Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken

Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken

I have relatives who live in Louisiana and all week leading up to Ash Wednesday they were posting pictures of parties and parades, wearing purple ball gowns and gold masks. One of my aunts even has a Mardi Gras tree, which is like a Christmas tree, but not.

All of that led me to think about Cajun/Creole dishes. I LOVE Shrimp Etouffee, Dirty Rice, Po’ Boys and Jambalaya. I love sippin’ bourbon and listening to jazz. I love everything about Southern Louisiana and the people who live there.

However, my mother is very sick, and I haven’t had time to do much but work and coordinate her care. So, I made this sheet pan Cajun Chicken. Is it really Cajun? Not really. Is it easy, delicious and inexpensive? YES.

It was especially delicious. My husband, who says maybe three words a year, let me know how much he liked it. And I overheard my notoriously picky mother telling my sister how good it was.

You can tweak this recipe to make it your own. Slices of smoked sausage can be added with the chicken. You could use kielbasa or andouille. The andouille is a little spicy. You could also use shrimp instead of crawdads or leave the seafood out altogether. I purchased all the vegetables already chopped up to save time. It is more expensive to do that, but anymore I am so swamped that I’m willing to buy a little time.

Servings: 4-6

Time: Prep: 15 minutes (5 inf you buy pre-sliced veggies); Cooking: 40 minutes-dinner in an hour

Hardware: A cutting board and knife, a measuring spoon, 2 large mixing bowls, a baking sheet, foil, tongs

Ingredients:

• 1-pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1-pound cooked, peeled crawdads (or 1 pound cleaned, raw shrimp)
• Canola oil
• 1 ½ pound Yukon gold potatoes
• 3 large bell peppers (1 each green, red and yellow)
• 1 large sweet, yellow onion
• 1-pint of cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s seasoning
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• Salt & pepper
• Cooking spray
• Chopped green onions and hot sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Cover the baking sheet in foil and generously spray with cooking spray.
2. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and place it into one of the bowls. Use enough oil to coat the chicken and toss it with the tablespoon of Chachere’s.
3. Scrub the potatoes and slice them as thin as possible. Wash and seed the peppers. Cut the peppers and onions into bite sized chunks. Place the veggies in the other bowl. Use enough oil to coat all the veggies. Toss in generous amounts of salt and pepper and the paprika.
4. Spread everything out evenly onto the foil, making sure to scrape all the oils and spices out onto the food. Add the cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle everything with the remaining teaspoon of Chachere’s and the thyme.
5. Roast for 30 minutes. Add the crawdads and roast for 10 more minutes. If you are using shrimp, salt and pepper them and sprinkle them with a little Chachere’s.
6. Serve warm. Top with chopped green onions and offer your guests hot sauce.