Crispy Cajun Chicken
One of the great advantages we've had throughout the years is being able to live in different parts of the country. Each place has something that we will always remember - Michigan for its lakes, Colorado for its mountains, Texas for its Tex-Mex and N'awlins for it's jazzy Cajun and Creole cuisine!
Man, do we love food from New Orleans! There is no such thing as flavorless food while you're in the area, though they can be fried and buttery and heavy. But you can still immerse yourself in many of the flavors of the Mississippi Delta while keeping an eye on the waistband. This is one of our favorite winter comfort foods. It's lightly breaded chicken--with a bit of a kick!--baked and served with roasted root vegetables and rice for a delicious winter dinner.
This crispy Cajun chicken is an easy way to spice up your average weeknight chicken dinner and works well as leftovers for lunch the next day. It does have to marinate for a little while so it takes just a touch of planning, but that's the hardest part of this whole recipe. Our Cajun Seasoning is salt free and blended from paprika, garlic, onion, black pepper, thyme, white pepper, cayenne and sage.
Tip: Buttermilk substitute - 1 cup of milk and 2 teaspoons lemon juice - let stand for 5 minutes.
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup low fat buttermilk or plain yogurt
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 Tablespoon Domestic Paprika (85 ASTA)
- 1½ teaspoon Cajun Seasoning
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Place the chicken in a shallow nonmetal dish, and pour the buttermilk or yogurt over the chicken.
- Turn the pieces to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Add cornmeal, American Sweet Paprika and Cajun Seasoning to a small plastic bag, seal the bag and shake to mix.
- Take chicken breasts one at a time and put into bag and shake to coat.
- Once all the chicken is coated, discard remaining cornmeal and milk marinade.
- Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and place the chicken on the pan.
- Lightly spray each piece of chicken with nonstick cooking spray to help make the coat crispy.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperature of meat is 165°F.
- Let chicken rest for 10 minutes, and serve.
