One Skillet Louisiana Style Chicken and Rice with Herb Butter. Quick, easy, colorful, and delicious! Pan-seared chicken with cajun seasoning and lemon butter. All cooked together with rice pilaf and peppers for an all-in-one dinner. Take that extra step and serve with a drizzle of delicious herby garlic butter. A dinner that everyone at the table will love. I’ve always loved a skillet dinner, but when the days get really busy, that’s when I really count on skillet recipes. And this one has quickly become a new favorite. This doesn’t surprise me, it has all of the flavors my family loves most. Just about anything with rice and they’re sold on in seconds, so I knew this would be a hit. The way this was created reminded me of the way my dad used to cook when I was a kid. He’d pull out the contents of the fridge and just start making dinner with what we had. He’d throw in a little of this and a little bit of that. They never turned out bad, and to this day, it’s my favorite way to create new recipes. I only had a few things on hand and I knew that Creighton wanted something with a southern flair. Lots of seasoning, lemon, peppers, and rice. Thankfully, I always have a cabinet full of spices, lemons, tons of peppers, and rice. I also knew there was chicken was in the freezer. So from there, I really did just throw everything into a skillet. The second all the yummy seasonings hit the chicken, I knew it had potential.
The details
Everything starts with the chicken, which is southern-inspired and seasoned simply with my homemade cajun seasoning. Simply chicken, olive oil, and seasonings, all pan-seared in a skillet and then finished with lemon and butter. Once the chicken has been seared, I toss in the rice and spaghetti. Using a combination of broken pasta and rice makes this almost more like a Rice-A-Roni or rice pilaf bake, it’s such a nice addition. And perfect if you have an almost empty box of pasta just sitting in the pantry waiting to be used. Allow the rice and pasta to get a little toasted. You want things to be smelling just a little nutty at this point. Add the onions, bell peppers, and chicken broth, then slide the chicken in. Bring everything to a boil and allow the rice to simmer before transferring the entire skillet to the oven to finish cooking. As the dish cooks in the oven, you’ll find that some of the rice and pasta on top get a nice little crisp. Which we think is pretty delicious!
Finish it up
Since this already has so much flavor, I didn’t think the dish needed a sauce. But at the same time, I wanted to add a saucy element. So I browned a little butter with garlic and fresh herbs to spoon over the warm chicken and rice. Best idea. I know it doesn’t seem like much to add a small drizzle of herby butter, but it really finishes the dish so nicely. The rice especially…so delicious with some nutty herby garlic butter. What’s great about this one-skillet chicken rice bake is that it incorporates a variety of flavors and textures. Yet it’s all made simply in ONE skillet, using a lot of pantry staples. Have to love that! This is already in my rotation of “back pocket” recipes. It’s just so good, and it’s different, which is really nice! Creighton gave it a double thumbs-up, so hey, it’s got that going for it too! Looking for other skillet dinners? Here are my favorites: One Skillet White Chicken Chili Bake Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce. Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole Lastly, if you make this One Skillet Louisiana Style Chicken and Rice, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
