Cajun chicken thighs with corn maque choux
Spicy blackened chicken thighs over a buttery, creamy Louisiana skillet corn with peppers, tomatoes and green onions.
- 40 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.13 a serving
- 470 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ lb boneless chicken thighs, about 6 thighs
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 3 cups frozen corn
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 stalks green onions, sliced
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
Each serving has about 470 calories, 39 g protein, 31 g carbs and 23 g fat, and costs about $3.13 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No frozen corn? Canned corn works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the chicken dry and rub it all over with the Cajun seasoning.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Heat the oil in a large over medium-high. Cook the thighs smooth side down 5 to 6 minutes, until deeply .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Cajun seasoning darkens fast. Very dark brown is right, black means turn the heat down.Flip and cook 5 to 6 minutes more, until the thickest thigh reads 165°F. Move them to a plate.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Turn the heat to medium, the butter, and add the onion, bell pepper, celery and salt. Cook 5 minutes, until soft.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Onion, bell pepper and celery are the holy trinity, the base of half of Louisiana’s cooking.Add the corn and garlic and cook 5 to 6 minutes, now and then, until the corn is in spots.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
in the tomatoes and cream and 2 minutes, until creamy.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min
in the green onions, the chicken, and serve it over the corn.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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