This easy Cajun Grilled Chicken recipe is made with homemade Cajun seasoning and a little olive oil. It is super easy to make, flavourful and great for your BBQ party or main dish. Chicken breasts cooked to perfection, this Cajun grilled chicken recipe will be done in no time.
Full of bold flavours, this Cajun grilled chicken is marinated in a homemade Cajun seasoning and then grilled to perfection. It’s perfect for summer grill but you can make this any time of the year!
You can never have too many easy chicken recipes on hand and this recipe checks all the boxes. You will fall in love with this grilled Cajun chicken recipe. It’s smoky, spicy, and savoury and I bet your whole family will fall in love with it after taking their first bite. It’s also super easy to make with only a handful of simple ingredients.
How To Make Cajun Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts — Always try to get chicken breasts that are similar in size so they cook as evenly as possible. I like using free-range organic chicken with no antibiotics or added hormones but you can use whatever is accessible to you.
- Olive oil — I like to use olive oil but you can swap it for another oil such as avocado oil.
- Cajun seasoning – While you can use store-bought Cajun seasoning, you can make your own with some paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and herbs. I much prefer my homemade blend as I can control how spicy or mild it is.
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
- Brine your chicken breasts by combining the warm water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt in a large bowl. Stir it well until salt is dissolved in the water. Add the chicken breasts and let them sit for 15-30 minutes.
- Brush olive oil, vegetable oil or even melted butter over all sides of the chicken. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning.
Marinate the Chicken
- Marinate the chicken breasts for at least 15 to 30 minutes.
- While the chicken marinates, you can prepare the grill.
Grill the Chicken
- Place the chicken on the grill over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Cook 10 to 12 minutes or cook until an internal temp of 165 degrees or the juices run clear.
- Before serving squeeze a little bit of lemon juice or limes juice.
How to Serve Cajun Grilled Chicken
Cajun grilled chicken breasts are great with any type of salad but I especially love it with black bean mango salad because the sweetness of the mango combines really well and reduces the hot spices in the Cajun seasoning. This salad is also very easy to make, yet very flavorful, especially this time of the year when the mangos as sweet and juicy. And it tastes even better as a leftover.
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This chicken recipe also goes really well with veggies, sandwiches, sauces, rice, and pasta and it can be also served hot or cold.
Can I Make This Without A Grill?
Absolutely! You can pan-fry the chicken breasts, use a grill pan on the stove, or even bake them. Check out my baked chicken breast recipe or my avocado and grilled chicken salad and use the Cajun seasoning instead.
Can I meal prep this?
Yes, you can meal prep this recipe. You can double or triple this Cajun chicken breast recipe and grill them in batches. Once cooled, store in an airtight meal prep container either portioned out or in one large container.
Keep the chicken breasts refrigerated for up to four days. Reheat them in the microwave when ready to eat. If you prefer to enjoy the chicken chilled, you can skip reheating it.
Can I freeze this?
If you want to make these Cajun grilled chicken breasts ahead of time to freeze for meal prepping, you can do so by allowing the breasts to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer the chicken to an airtight freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze them for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, simply thaw in the fridge overnight and then gently reheat in the microwave. You can even shred the chicken before freezing if you want to be able to use it for soups, salads, and fillings.
Is Cajun Chicken Spicy?
The spice level on your Cajun grilled chicken depends on the spice blend you use. Some brands are much spicier than others.
The best option is using a homemade blend so you can adjust the amount of cayenne pepper and black pepper in the blend whereas you cannot adjust the heat in store-bought Cajun seasoning. The rest of the herbs that in the Cajun seasoning such as thyme and oregano are not spicy.
How long should I marinate the chicken for?
Typically, 15 to 30 minutes of marinating is enough. However, for even more flavour, marinate the chicken overnight in the fridge.
Why do you brine chicken?
Brining is the process where the chicken is soaked in a salty liquid. This helps adds flavor and keeps the chicken tender and juicy so don’t skip this step. Make sure to marinate the chicken immediately after brining.
Can I use chicken thighs to make this Cajun Grilled Chicken?
You can swap the boneless skinless chicken breasts for boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer. Just make sure the internal temperature of the chicken thighs has reached 165F.
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Cajun Grilled Chicken
Instructions
- Heat gas or charcoal grill.
- Brine your chicken breasts by combining the warm water and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt in a large bowl. Stir it well until salt is dissolved in the water. Add the chicken breasts and let it sit for 15-30 minutes.
- Then, remove the chicken from the brine and pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Brush oil over all sides of the chicken. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning.
- Then set aside to marinate for at least 15 mins.
- Gas grill: If you need to clean the grates, use a steel grill brush to do so. Dip a wad of paper towel into cooking oil and then wipe the grates. This step is important to prevent the chicken from sticking to the grates. Turn all burners on medium-high, cover, and heat the grill until it reaches 450 degrees F.
- Place the chicken on the grill and grill it for about 6 mins each side. Don’t forget to check occasionally.
- Check the middle of the breasts with a meat thermometer (it has to register 165F degree).
Tips
- You can make this recipe without a grill if you don’t have one. Pan-fry the chicken or bake it.
- I recommend using my homemade blend of Cajun seasoning so you can adjust how spicy the chicken is.
- For more flavour, you can marinate the chicken overnight in the fridge.
- To store: Store leftover chicken breasts in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
- To reheat: You can reheat in the microwave when ready to eat. You can also eat chicken cold.
- To freeze: You can freeze the Cajun chicken in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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