Cajun Butter Chicken and Potatoes

Juicy chicken breasts and tender potatoes tossed in a spicy Cajun seasoned sauce and baked to perfection in one pan.  Sheet pan chicken and potatoes are an easy dinner that your family will love. Ready in under an hour!

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Welcome to My Kitchen Serenity!  I'm happy to share with you this super easy chicken recipe.  I especially love this for an easy weeknight meal.  Cooking the chicken and potatoes in one pan is a huge time saver.  Plus, this main dish offers you juicy chicken and creamy tender potatoes seasoned to perfection!

Why You'll Love This

Do you love foods that have a lot of flavor and a hint of heat?  Do you love foods that are very spicy? Either way, this recipe is for you because the heat level is completely adjustable.  

Sheet pan dinners are a great choice when you want the ease and convenience of baking everything in one pan at the same time.  Plus, clean up is a breeze!

Not a fan of spicy food?  The kids aren't fans of cayenne pepper? Or maybe indigestion or heartburn from spicy foods cause you to shy away from them.  No worries; we got options!  This recipe can be toned down considerably.  However, toned down doesn't mean flavorless!  Just omit the cayenne pepper, black pepper, and chili powder.  This recipe is very good without the spicy seasonings and can be very kid-friendly.  I want the whole family to enjoy this delicious meal!

The chicken and potatoes are not over-the-top spicy so don't let the word "spicy" make you run away!   Then again, I suppose what's mild to one person may be super spicy to another.  The beauty of it is, you have complete control over the level of heat! 

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a wonderful choice for this recipe.  Boneless, skinless thighs would work great, too. 

Potato Alternatives

I used red potatoes because I had a giant bag of them.  Yukon or russet would work well, too.  Other alternatives include:  turnips, sweet potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and rutabagas (of course, rutabagas would need to be cut into much smaller pieces since they are firmer than potatoes).

Seasoning

We make a seasoning "sauce" to toss the chicken and potatoes in.  It's not quite a marinate per se, but you could use it as a marinade.  Since there's melted butter in the sauce, if you chose to use it as a marinade, the butter will make the sauce much thicker when it gets cold.  Actually, it's a good thing because the sauce will adhere to the chicken and potatoes nicely.

The seasoning is the star of the recipe.  It begins with an olive oil and butter base.  Then we add a hint of lemon and Worcestershire (or Wooster as my family calls it) sauce.  Finally, we add all the wonderful dried seasonings to create a flavor explosion!

Marinating Option

Marinating is not necessary for this recipe since the chicken cooks up juicy and flavorful.  However, I understand that a lot of people (and I'm one of them) like to prep ahead of time.  Say, mix everything up in the morning, then bake it when they get home later.  This is a perfect recipe for that.  Keep in mind that refrigerating it all day will cause the butter to harden so the sauce will look, well, thick like butter!  But when it's time to bake it, all the sauce will beautifully melt all over the chicken and potatoes. 

Cajun Seasoning

What makes this recipe "Cajun" is the ingredients in the seasoning.  Most all Cajun seasonings contain at least the following:  cayenne pepper, garlic,  onion powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and oregano.  Having said that, there are many different "variations" of Cajun seasoning.  Plus, there are just as many Cajuns who will argue with you about it LOL.  My maternal and paternal grandparents, and many generations before them, were born and raised in St. James Parish, Louisiana, so I know how it is 🙂

Ingredient List

Chicken Breasts

Red Potatoes

Olive Oil

Butter

Lemon Juice

Worcestershire Sauce

Jarred Minced Garlic

Cayenne Pepper

Smoked Paprika

Chili Powder

Onion Powder

Oregano

Salt

Pepper

Do you love jambalaya?  Please try my Easy Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya!  

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F.  Wash the potatoes, then slice into strips (like I did) or quarter them.  If using a medium potato, slice in half.  Then slice each half into 3 or 4 strips.

Add the potatoes and chicken to a large ziplock bag or large bowl.

Prepare the sauce by melting the butter over low heat in a small sauce pan.  Add the olive oil, butter, lemon Juice, Worcheshire Sauce, minced garlic, and the rest of the spices/seasonings.  Stir to combine.  (Optional step, but recommended:  Raise the heat to medium-high and bring "just to a boil.")  Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.

After the seasoning sauce has cooled off for about 5 minutes, carefully add it to the chicken and potato mixture.  Toss to thoroughly coat the chicken and potatoes.

Remove chicken and potatoes from the bag, or bowl, and place on a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle any remaining seasoning mixture over the chicken and potatoes.  Bake for 15 minutes. Toss or turn the potatoes to ensure even doneness.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and the potatoes are tender.   Be careful not to overcook the chicken or it'll be dry.  Thicker breasts will require a little more time than thin ones and vice versa.

Side Dishes

Serve with crusty french bread and a green side salad.  Steamed broccoli is also a great choice.  During grilling season, check out my Southern Grilled Corn on the Cob!

Leftover Ideas

• The leftover chicken is fabulous when shredded and served on top of a green salad.
• Roll up chicken in a tortilla wrap and add your favorite items like lettuce, tomato, cheese, etc.

Storing Leftovers

Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

If you try this recipe, let me know.  I'd love to hear from you!