I have to be honest.  Chicken breasts are not my favorite cut of meat.   They are incredibly lean, with little fat and lots of protein.  This makes them very healthy, but challenging to keep moist and tender if you do not have the right techniques. This recipe will give you a great foundation for cooking perfect pan seared chicken breasts.  Today, we are seasoning the chicken breasts with a bold cajun rub, sautéing them in olive oil & butter, and then finishing them off with a creamy white wine sauce.  You will love this….changing your idea of what chicken breasts can be.

The basic process for Cajun Chicken Breasts with White Wine Cream Sauce

1. Filet our chicken breasts, cutting them into smaller pieces with a uniform thickness.
2. Rinse and Dry the Chicken Breasts
3. Season with our Cajun Rub
4. Pan sear the chicken breasts in butter and olive oil over medium heat (3-4 minutes a side)
5. Place chicken breasts on a plate or pan in the oven at 175 degrees
6. In the same pan you seared the chicken in, create a sauce from reducing White Wine, Chicken Stock, Cream, and Butter.

Preparing the Chicken Breasts for Pan Searing

Working with whole chicken breasts, we want to cut them in half, and then pound them out to a uniform thickness.  This will make cooking the chicken breasts incredibly easy.  For a long time I made the mistake of cooking chicken breasts whole, like you get them from the store.  If you do not take the time to prep them, it just makes it impossible to cook them evenly.  Take the extra 5 minutes to do this, and you will be setup for success.

Below is a video I recorded to show you how I prep chicken breasts, prior to seasoning and cooking on the grill or pan searing.

Next you want to rinse the chicken breasts and dry them off with a paper towel.  When pan searing chicken, you want your chicken to be dry.  This will help turn the seasoning on the chicken breasts into a flavorful crust, adding nice texture to the chicken.

After rinsing and drying them, season both sides of the chicken breasts heavily with the cajun rub.  You are now ready to pan sear the chicken breasts.

Pan Searing the Cajun Chicken Breasts

1. Heat your oven up to 175 degrees F, or lowest setting under 200 F.
2. Heat a good non-stick pan over medium heat for 5 minutes.  I have 12″ cuisine art pan that I use for about everything.  It has some weight, which helps to retain heat and cook things evenly.
3. Add 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil first and then 1 Tablespoon of Butter.  You want the butter to melt quickly, but if there is smoking involved or the butter turns brown, then you pan is too hot.  Start over if needed.
4. Add the chicken breasts to the pan, evenly distributed around the center.  Cook for 3 minutes and then turn.  Cook for another 3 minutes.  Only turn once.  If the pan starts to dry up, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Check the internal temperature of the chicken – it should be around 150 F when you pull the chicken and place them in the warm oven.
5. Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan or plate and place in oven.

Creating the White Wine Cream Sauce

1. Using a paper towel, wipe out any burnt bits in the bottom of the pan.  Add another tablespoon of olive oil.
2. Finely chop one Shallot and add to the pan.  Saute for 3 minutes.
3. Add 1/4 cup white white wine – simmer for 5 minutes or reduces in half
4. Add 1/4 cup chicken stock – simmer for 5 minutes
5. Add 1/4 Cup heavy cream – simmer for 5 minutes
6. Pull the pan from the heat and add a tab of butter.  Throw in a pinch of pepper and salt. Stir in and let it cool for a few minutes, which will help it thicken a little.
7. Pull the chicken breasts from your oven.  Check the internal temperature of the chicken to verify it is 165 F or greater.  Then you are ready to serve!  These cajun chicken breasts are great with rice and vegetables or roasted potatoes.  The sauce is good on just about anything you serve with the chicken.

If you give this a try, let me know how you like it…. feel free to pin or share this recipe with your friends.  Thanks ya’ll.