Spiced chicken with rice and black eyed peas is a hearty, deeply flavorful dish with hints of smokiness and just the right amount of spice.
Today's recipe is kind of like a Southern style version of a Cajun rice and beans type of recipe.
And maybe that’s why I’ve been making this for more than 15 years now! I am a born and raised Southerner who adores Cajun flavors.
Spiced chicken with black eyed peas and rice is a hearty, deeply flavorful main dish with hints of smokiness and just the right amount of spice.
We’ve got a rice and beans mixture, seared spiced chicken and crispy bacon to finish it all off.
The chicken, because it’s sliced into long strips, cooks through more quickly and evenly.
And while this takes a little longer than some of my 15-minute recipes, though still just 45 minutes total, it’s well worth it for the layers of flavors we’ve got here.
If you love these flavors, you might also like this one-pot hoppin’ John or this one pot Cajun dirty rice recipe.
OK, let’s get cooking.
Ingredient Notes:
Bacon: This adds such great flavor since we’re using the grease and the cooked bacon in the dish. If you must skip it, you can use olive oil to sauté the onion.
Rice: I use brown rice because we love some whole grains in our house. You could easily substitute regular long-grain white rice in this recipe. It’ll cut the cooking time down to about 20 minutes for that portion of the recipe. (Just check to make sure your rice is cooked through.)
Black eyed peas: You can find these with other canned beans. Be sure to drain and then rinse them very well.
Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this recipe, but you could substitute chicken thighs if you prefer. Just check that they are cooked through all the way.
Cajun seasoning: I use a homemade seasoning (Emeril Lagasse’s recipe) but a store-bought version is fine, too.
To round out the meal, you just need some sort of vegetable.
This quick okra and tomato saute would be a great pairing. You could also just do some sort of steamed vegetable or a side salad.
Happy cooking and enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Spiced Chicken with Rice and Black Eyed Peas
Ingredients
For the rice and peas:
- 3 pieces bacon, cut in thirds
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup brown rice, (or sub white rice)
- 2 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce
- ¼ cup sliced green onions
For the chicken:
- 4 (6-7 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the bacon pieces. Cook, turning occasionally, until bacon is cooked through and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove to paper towels to drain, then crumble and reserve.
- In the same pan with the grease from the bacon, add the onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 more seconds.
- Add the rice to the same pan and stir to get it coated in the oils. Add the water, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and the liquid is absorbed. (If you are using white rice, it will be done in closer to 20 minutes.)
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the paprika, Cajun seasoning, sugar and salt. Sprinkle over the chicken strips on both sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides, about 4-5 minutes each, until just cooked through.
- When the rice is finished, stir in the salt, black eyed peas and hot sauce to the pot and mix well to combine.
- Serve the chicken over the mixed rice and black eyed peas with reserved bacon and green onions sprinkled on top.
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