Cajun Chicken and Okra
Cajun chicken and okra is an easy but impressive meal made all in one skillet that has serious depth of flavor. This delicious dinner is perfect served over rice.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- ½ cup green pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 ½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 cups okra, trimmed and sliced in ½ inch pieces
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
For serving:
- Steamed white or brown rice
- Sliced green onions (optional)
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, flipping as needed to ensure even cooking, until crisp and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Remove bacon, leaving the bacon grease in the pan, and crumble and reserve for serving.
- Add the onion, green pepper and celery to the pan and cook in the bacon grease until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Increase the heat to medium high. Season the chicken with Cajun seasoning on both sides then add to the pan. Sear on both sides until well browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Add the okra, tomatoes and chicken broth to the pan and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, maintaining a constant simmer, and cook for about 10-12 minutes, until okra is tender and chicken is cooked through. Stir occasionally to ensure all the okra gets submerged and cooked.
- Serve the chicken and okra over steamed rice, topped with reserved bacon and sliced green onions.
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Notes
Bacon: Thick cut or center-cut bacon is my go-to, but any kind will do. I suppose you could skip the bacon and use oil instead of the grease for cooking the veggies and chicken, but is that really a good idea? No.
Chicken: You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts for this recipe. I’ve made it both ways. Just check to make sure your chicken cooks all the way through. (I use and recommend a digital thermometer.)
Cajun seasoning: I use a homemade Cajun seasoning blend (it’s from one of Emeril’s cookbooks), but a store-bought kind is fine, too. (It just might be a little more salty.)
Diced tomatoes: The fire-roasted diced tomatoes give this dish some extra oomph, but regular diced would be fine. You could also use a Cajun-seasoned canned diced tomato if you haven.
Spicy: Depending on how spicy your Cajun seasoning is, this may or may not be a very hot dish. Mine is fairly spicy and along with the fire-roasted diced tomatoes, this dish has a really good, fairly hot flavor. You can also always add hot sauce to spice it up at the table.
Leftovers: Leftovers, once cooled, can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium low heat until warmed through. Tip: It helps to slice the chicken so it warms through more quickly and evenly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 372kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 216mg | Sodium: 1005mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g
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