Chef John's Chicken Lazone

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup green onions

1 tablespoon butter, cubed

Directions

Mix chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder together in a small bowl; set aside. Half will be used for the chicken rub and half for the sauce.

Season chicken on both sides with salt. Sprinkle half the spice mixture over both sides of chicken. Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to overnight), or until ready to cook.

Heat oil in a heavy-duty nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Sear chicken, turning once, about 3 to 4 minutes per side; chicken will be about 75% cooked at this point, and will finish cooking in the sauce. Turn off heat; transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add remaining spice mixture to the pan and stir around in the hot oil for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice, cream, and water. Stir in a pinch of salt.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to medium-low and return chicken to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Simmer gently, turning occasionally to coat with sauce, until chicken is no longer pink at the center and juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes. Time will vary based on size of chicken breasts. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the center will read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Reduce heat to low and add green onions and butter. Stir into the sauce, while also basting chicken with the sauce. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Notes

Creamy, Cajun-spiced Chicken Lazone is incredibly delicious, and seems fancy, but needs almost no prep at all. Adapted from the famous New Orleans dish by Chef Lazone Randolph of Brennan's, it may be one of the easiest chicken dishes we've ever posted.

Virtually everything about going to New Orleans to eat its famously amazing food is a positive experience, except there is one issue that I should warn you about. After your trip, you will see or hear about a dish that you didn’t get to try while you were there, and you can’t help being a little bit sad. That’s happened to me several times, and this Chicken Lazone recipe is the latest example. I shouldn’t feel too bad, since I’ve only been to New Orleans twice, for a total of 6 days, and you can only eat (and drink, and drink) so much in that amount of time.

Apparently the restaurant where Chef Lazone Randolph invented this dish changed hands, and it was taken off the menu, so I might not have been able to get it anyway. Despite not being able to compare it to the original, I thought this creamy Cajun-spiced chicken came out really well. It is very flavorful, requires almost no prep, and the spicy sauce is fantastic on pasta, which are just a few of the reasons why I really do hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy

Nutrition

• Calories: 411 kcal
• Total Fat: 25 g
• Saturated Fat: 13 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 155 mg
• Sodium: 627 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 6 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 2 g
• Protein: 39 g