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Pan Seared Cajun Butter Chicken Thighs

by Katerina

4.69 from 16 votes

Jun 08, 2020, Updated Jul 11, 2021

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You’re going to love these moist, juicy, and tender Pan Seared Cajun Butter Chicken Thighs. They’re flavorful, rich, and enticing cooked in a spicy Cajun rub and topped with a velvety butter sauce. 

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Why You’ll Love This Cajun Chicken Recipe

• Cajun flavor. There’s a few particular cuisines that, when I even just think of them, my taste buds come alive. Cajun cuisine is one of those! A good Cajun seasoning is legit, out-of-this-world. Cajun seasoning is especially good on chicken. I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me that chicken with Cajun seasoning rubbed on it is where the term, “finger licking good” came from. 
• Spicy crunch. This recipe has so much powerful Cajun flavor, cooked up in one pan. The best part of Cajun seasoning is when it’s seared or charred. The spicy crunch is simply perfection!
• Super easy. All you’ll need is 30 minutes and a single pan for this easy chicken thighs recipe. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

What’s In this Chicken Thighs Recipe?

• Cajun seasoning. You can use any store brand you’d like or give our homemade Cajun seasoning a try (check it out below)!
• Chicken Thighs
• Butter & Oil
• Garlic
• Chicken Broth: You can also use veggie stock if you’d prefer.
• Fresh Parsley

What is Cajun Seasoning?

Cajun cooking incorporates French, West African, and Spanish techniques and is most closely associated with Louisiana. Cajun seasoning is a spice blend that’s commonly used in Cajun cooking. 

Here’s what I put into my Cajun seasoning:

• light brown sugar
• sweet paprika
• dried oregano
• salt
• fresh ground pepper

How to Make Cajun Chicken Thighs

1. Combine: In a shallow plate or shallow bowl, combine the Cajun seasoning, brown sugar, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix it all together to combine.
2. Season: Rub the seasoning all around the chicken thighs.
3. Heat: Set a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to heat up.
4. Cook: Add the seasoned chicken thighs to the hot oil, smooth side down. Cook the chicken for 6 minutes. Flip the chicken over and continue to cook for 6 to 7 more minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink. Check for doneness with an instant read thermometer. Chicken is done when internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
5. Rest: Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. 
6. Sauce: Return the skillet to the stove and set it over medium heat. Add the remaining butter to the skillet and let it melt. Stir in the garlic and cook it for 30 seconds. Whisk in the chicken broth and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil and let it cook for 2 minutes, or until reduced. Whisk frequently. 
7. Top and serve: Drizzle the sauce over the chicken thighs. Garnish the chicken with parsley and serve.

Tips for Success

• Embrace the char. One of the best parts of this meal is the char that develops from the pan searing. Let your chicken sit without moving it around for the entire 6 minutes on each side. This will help to develop that sear you want. 
• Chicken breasts vs thighs. You can use chicken breasts if you prefer. In my experience, they will be a little less juicy and rich. They will also need less time to cook through.
• Bone in thighs. You can use bone-in chicken thighs but I don’t recommend leaving the skin on. If you use bone-in chicken thighs, you will need to increase your cooking time. 
• Try other seasonings. You can use this same pan searing technique followed by making a butter sauce with other seasoning blends. I’m thinking Italian herb, lemon thyme, or Mexican. 

How Long to Cook Chicken Thighs

• Chicken thighs are cooked when there is no longer any pink running through the meat. This happens when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165˚F.
• The easiest and most accurate way to check for doneness is to use an instant read thermometer. Chicken is done when the internal temperature registers at 165˚F. 
• For boneless, skinless chicken thighs, this will usually take about 10 to 14 minutes (just about 6 to 7 minutes per side – cooking time will also depend on the size of the thighs). 

Serving Suggestions

Anything Cajun and anything with a yummy sauce belongs served over rice! If you’re trying to limit grains, you can serve these over riced cauliflower instead. Because the sauce is butter based, it’s also great over noodles or zoodles. Zucchini fries would be another great side with this dish!

Throw in a green veggie side, like green beans, steamed broccoli, or roasted Brussels sprouts and you’ve got yourself a complete balanced meal in no time. 

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• Let your chicken thighs come to room temperature then place them into an airtight container. Pour the sauce over the chicken to keep it moist. Then, refrigerate your chicken thighs for about 3-5 days.
• When you’re ready to reheat them, pop them in the oven until the chicken is warmed through. 

More Chicken Thigh Recipes

• Honey Garlic Baked Chicken Thighs
• Pineapple Barbeque Chicken Thighs
• Apple Cider Glazed Chicken Thighs

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4.69 from 16 votes

Pan Seared Cajun Butter Chicken Thighs

by Katerina | Easy Weeknight Recipes

Moist, juicy & tender Pan Seared Cajun Butter Chicken Thighs. They’re flavorful, rich, and cooked in a spicy Cajun rub and topped with velvety butter sauce.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

For the Cajun Seasoning

• ▢ ½ teaspoon Cajun seasoning blend
• ▢ 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

For the Chicken

• ▢ 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• ▢ 4 tablespoons butter,, divided
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic,, minced
• ▢ ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
• ▢ chopped fresh parsley, , for garnish

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Instructions 

• In a shallow plate or shallow bowl combine Cajun seasoning, brown sugar, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper; mix to combine.
• Rub seasoning all around the chicken thighs.
• Set a large skillet over medium heat; add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to heat up.
• Add seasoned chicken thighs to the hot oil, smooth side down.
• Cook chicken for 6 minutes.
• Flip over and continue to cook for 6 to 7 more minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink. Check for doneness with instant read thermometer; chicken is done when internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
• Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
• Return skillet to stove and set over medium heat.
• Add remaining butter to the skillet and let it melt.
• Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Whisk in the chicken broth and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Bring to a boil and let cook for 2 minutes, or until reduced. Whisk frequently.
• Drizzle sauce over chicken thighs.
• Garnish with parsley and serve.

Notes

Spice Rub inspired by AllRecipes

If you can’t find Cajun Seasoning, use a mix of chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 245mg | Sodium: 893mg | Potassium: 599mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 774IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.

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