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Cajun Chicken

This is something I usually make when we start feeling pasta fatigue.

While it goes well with rice, for a long time we were eating it with roasted romaine lettuce, which was a nice combo.

I’ve only ever tried the rub on chicken (breasts & wings to be specific), but I’m curious to see how it would work on shrimp or even a mix of peppers and onions in a stir-fry.

As far as dinners go, it’s fairly simple and once prepped, a rather quick one to make.

The Rub

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions

• Remove tenders from and then slice in half 2 good-sized chicken breasts.
• Lay them out on a cutting board pretty close to each other and sprinkle half of the rub on one side; once I scoop out the rub onto each piece, I use the spoon to spread it around and also press it in a bit to the meat to make sure there’s good adhesion.
• In a cast-iron or large frying pan, heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil and place the chicken pieces in the pan rub-side down.
• While the bottom sides are cooking, spread the remaining rub on top of the chicken pieces and flip once the bottom has a nice dark crust.
• Cook through until done and serve asap!

Warning

This will make a lot of smoke, especially right before they’re done cooking. My stove’s venting system can’t keep up and I’m usually running around opening windows to avoid having the house smell for the next couple days.