Easy Cajun Chicken- Pantry Style!

Easy Cajun Chicken- Pantry Style! What is ‘Pantry Style‘ you might ask? Well, in this time of quarantine, it means cooking with things you already have on hand- grabbing things out of the pantry and using your creative juices to create a delicious dish!

I frequently make this dish for my family, so I already had on hand the five main ingredients for this recipe: olive oil, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, Lemon Pepper seasoning, and Cajun seasoning (I used McCormick’s).

When you add the chicken to the list of ingredients, you’ve got yourself an easy 6-ingredient recipe! I’ve used chicken thighs with bone-in, since this produces the most juicy flavors, but you could also use boneless thighs or even chicken breasts. Periodically basting the chicken with the pan juices makes this dish even more juicy!

Cajun seasoning often has cayenne pepper or paprika, which gives it the red coloring and zesty flavor. The spice rub I use for this recipe is also very versatile- I often use it on steaks and seafood as well!

To make this recipe, you first brush olive oil (or melted butter) on the chicken pieces, then rub the spice blend on both sides. Let marinate for at least one hour (optional), then bake the chicken in the oven for about 35 minutes until cooked- place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes extra.

Cover chicken pieces with spice rub before roasting

Periodically baste the chicken pieces with the pan juices while baking for those extra juicy flavors!

Want a slightly fancier presentation? Serve the chicken on a bed of Spanish rice and add a few veggies to the dish, like this grilled zucchini.