RealCajunCooking.com lets you choose from hundreds of authentic Cajun recipes. Learn to easily prepare and cook original Cajun-style family meals with help from south Louisiana's Cajun cook and connoisseur, Jacques Gaspard, who's been preparing great Cajun meals for decades. Create the best gumbos, seafood, jambalaya, stews, salads and deserts -- the way they were originally prepared. Besides great original recipes, you will discover a hodgepodge of stories, recordings, videos and humorous anecdotes to entertain. So enjoy! Don't forget to tell all of your family and friends about Real Cajun Cooking.
A fresh chicken fryer or broiler is better when preparing this wonderfully delicious meal. Use your favorite baking pan, and after 1 hour of marinating the bird, it will be ready for the oven. The entire meal can be cooked and served in around an hour. Makes 4 to 6 servings. Ingredients
1 (3 - 4 lb.) chicken
1 large onion
2 med. green bell peppers
2 med. red bell peppers
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tbs. parsley, chopped
1 Tbs. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
3/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
combine all ingredients, (except chicken, vegetables and butter), to create the marinade
marinade the chicken in the refrigerator for 1 hour (turning once)
drain marinade then bake chicken at 400 degrees for 40 - 55 minutes.
cut onions and bell peppers into 1/2-inch thick rings.
on medium-high, sauté the onions and peppers in 2 Tbs. of butter for around 8 - 10 minutes
spoon the onions and peppers around the chicken when done
This meal can be served with cooked long-grain white rice.
Add water plus dry ingredients to container and mix well
add turkey breast to liquid and put into fridge
soak in fridge for about 1 1/2 hours (approximately 30 min per pound of turkey)
add charcoal to smoker, and bring up to steady 250 degrees
place turkey breast in center of the smoker, and shut the lid
turkey should cook for apx 45 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature is 170 degrees.
remove turkey breast from smoker, and let it rest for at least 15 minutes
remove the skin, and slice it any way you want
There's nothing like home-smoked turkey breast. Using this method, it will come out tender, moist and delicious. Serve it with all the fixins, or just slice it up and have a terrific turkey sandwich. Enjoy!
This 3-Meat Cajun Cornbread Dressing is more than just a dressing. It can become an entire meal in itself.
Ingredients
1 lb. pork steak, chopped
1 lb. ground beef, lean
1 lb. chicken livers, boiled and pureed
6 - 8 med. onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup green onions, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
1 pkg Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix
20 oz. chicken broth
3/4 lb. butter
4 boxes Jiffy cornbread (cooked)
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
Tony Chachere's Original Creole seasoning (to taste)
Bake cornbread and set aside. You will need at least 8 cups. The more cornbread you add to this recipe, the less soupy it will become. If the mixture is too soupy, either add more cornbread or increase the oven baking time until you have obtained the desired texture.
Boil the chicken livers using just enough water to cover them. You can add a teaspoon of Tony's seasoning to give it a good taste. Mash the livers, (puree is better), and set aside for later use. Using some of the butter, brown the other two meats. Add the rest of the butter in a stock pot and saute' all of the vegetables except the garlic and green onions. (Garlic and green onions should be added to prepared foods toward the end of the cooking process.)
When the vegetables have cooked down a bit add all the meats, include the water from the boiled livers and the chicken broth; mix well. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add a small amount of water at the time, if needed, to maintain a thick soupy consistency. Thirty minutes before the meat/vegetable mixture is cooked, add the minced garlic, green onions, Lipton Onion Soup mix and Worcestershire sauce.
When that is done, add the cornbread to the meat/vegetables and mix well. Place all the mixed ingredients in a large baking pan (12" x 14"). Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes, or until the desired texture is reached. 16 servings. This can be a stand-alone food or a side-dish which greatly compliments any holiday main entries, i.e., baked or deep fried turkey, as safe turkey stuffing, pork roasts, beef roasts, baked ham, outdoor barbecues, etc.
Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast is an easy meal to prepare and very delicious, too. You can also wrap the stuffed chicken breast with your favorite hickory smoked bacon.
Ingredients
4 chicken cutlets, split
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
Chives
Coating Mix
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
lay the 4 cutlets (8 pieces) flattened on wax paper
Chicken and Shrimp with Broccoli and Cheese Casserole wasn't the first name for this recipe. It was originally named "Broccoli and Rice Supreme with Shrimp" and first published on November 17, 2009.
Linda Masters of Hooks, TX. first prepared and served this meal to her husband and me over 20 years ago. It is very delicious and easy to prepare. This recipe should not have been gathering dust in my recipe archives with only 29 views in 3 years. It's so good, it doesn't deserve to be hidden away. So, I have decided to change the title to create more interest.
I asked her if it was alright to share her recipe with the NEW title and she didn't mind. Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks again Linda!
Ingredients
3 cups of cooked long-grain rice
2 cups of broccoli, chopped
2 boneless chicken breast, boiled and chopped
1 cup uncooked shrimp, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
1/4 cup butter
2 (15 oz.) jars of Cheez Whiz
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of chicken soup
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Boil the 2 chicken breast until tender (using just enough water to cover them), then chop into small bite-size pieces and set aside, but reserve the broth for later use.
In a pan, sauté the broccoli and onions in the butter until they are translucent then slowly stir-in the cream of chicken soup and the Cheez Whiz. Blend together thoroughly on low-to-medium heat for a couple minutes then add the chopped uncooked shrimp and chopped already cooked chicken. Stir and mix well.
In a large bowl add the above mixture and 3 cups of cooked long-grain rice. Mix together thoroughly until well blended. If the mixture seems too dry at this point you can resolve the problem by adding a small amount of the reserved chicken broth to moisten it.
Next, pour the entire contents in a large casserole or baking dish (9 ½ x 12 inch) and bake at 350° F. for 1 hour.
Our home was situated about 100 feet from a public dirt road and about twice that distance from a large redwood barn my grandfather built to store corn, hay and farm equipment. Just behind the barn, about 20 yards away, was a small 50' x 100' pond which we dug to germinated the hundreds of sacks of rice seed prior to planting. Although the pond's main purpose was to germinate the seeds, it also served us in other ways—like raising fish and birds.
The pond was a playground for our domestic ducks and geese. About half of them were wild birds at one time before they became domesticated. You could tell which were wild and which were tamed by the color of their feet. The wild ones had green feet and the domesticated ones had yellow feet.
The lucky wild ones (the ones which were spared because only the tips of their wings were clipped by a shotgun blast during a hunt) in many cases went on to live a life of security and leisure on our farm pond.
There were times when my grandpa would nurse these 'fortunate' birds back to health and eventually release them with our domesticated birds. I gave them plenty to eat so they had no reason to leave our farm to find food elsewhere.
Many mornings, just after sunrise, (the domesticated wild ones I called them), would take flight and disappear into the horizon only to return a few moments later. Sometimes they would meet-up with a few stragglers in the sky and invite them back to our pond … and eventually to our dinner table. We had the best live decoys any duck hunter could hope for.
During the cold winter months, when we wanted to prepare duck gumbos or stews, my grandfather would walk inside the barn from the front entrance and quietly move to the back door which was purposely kept ajar a few inches—just wide enough to slide the barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun into position. He would then bag just enough wild birds to feed our family.
It was an ideal set-up. Pops didn't have to buy expensive hunting equipment or spend money on blinds and leases. I guess it was kind of like shooting fish in a barrel for him. The entire drama took less than 10 minutes and our farm birds (the live decoys) were content doing what they had always done best … quacking, flapping their wings, and playing in the water.
Chicken Gumbo has been one of my family favorites for generations. It is easy to prepare and very satisfying--especially during the cold winter.
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cooking oil
1 (4 to 5) lb. chicken, cut into pieces
1 cups onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Water
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare chocolate color roux. Lower heat then add onion and celery. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 gallon cold water, garlic and seasonings. Cook until chicken is tender. Add onion tops and parsley. Serve in soup bowl over cooked rice. Serves 8 to 10. If desired, a dash of filé can be added to each serving.
Slow-boil the duck pieces in the gallon of unseasoned water for about an hour to reduce the wild taste. Drain and rinse the duck meat to remove any coating which may have formed during the boiling process. Next, make a roux with the flour and oil until you have attained a dark-chocolate color. Sauté the vegetables in the hot roux until tender.
Gradually add and mix the 3 quarts of water to the roux and vegetables then bring everything back to a slow boil. Add the duck to your gumbo and continue to cook on medium heat for 30 - 40 minutes. Stir in the salt and pepper seasonings and continue cooking on medium-low heat until the duck meat is tender and the spices are absorbed by the roux.
About 10 minutes before serving add the chopped green onion tops and parsley. Serve with cooked long grain white rice.
Make off-white roux with flour and oil. Cook for approximately 15 minutes. Add onions, celery and bell pepper. Cook until onions are tender. Add tomato juice, Rotel tomatoes, water and mushrooms. Continue cooking for 25 minutes. Add chicken and seasoning. Cook until chicken is tender. Add onion tops and parsley just before serving. Serve over cooked rice. Serves 8. KT
This White Chicken Enchiladas recipe was handed down to me by a friend who lives a few miles from me. It is sooo good that you'd better plan on making a couple batches of these if you have two or more people in your family or group, or they won't forgive you for not making more. It is easy to make as you will see.
Ingredients
10 soft taco shells
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I prefer Kraft Tex-Mex)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilis
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9" x 13" pan
Mix chicken and 1 cup shredded cheese
Roll up in tortillas and place in pan
In a saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute
Add broth and whisk until smooth
Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly
Stir in sour cream and chillis Note: Do not bring to boil or the sour cream will curdle.
Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
Bake 22 minutes and then under high broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese.
I prefer barbecuing chicken leg quarters more so than the other parts of the chicken--especially the white meat (chicken breast). And, here are a couple reasons why I like barbecuing chicken leg quarters more than other parts of the yard bird:
The dark meat has more flavor than the white meat.
I am able to use my special dark meat secret marinade.
The secret that I am about to reveal to you will certainly set you apart from the rest of the humdrum (always the same old stuff) culinary crowd--and it's very simple to do. All it takes is brown sugar, salt, liquid smoke, a large nonreactive container, an indoor oven... and eventually a barbecue grill.
So, if you are ready... let's get started.
Ingredients
BBQ Chicken Quarters
10 lbs. chicken leg quarters (fryers)
4 oz. Colgin Liquid Smoke
1/2 lb. brown sugar (dark if you can get it)
1/2 cup salt
Instructions
remove skins from the chicken quarters (set aside)
clean and rinse chicken quarters under cool running water (leave wet)
put chicken quarters in a large non-reactive container (enamel, plastic, stainless)
in a small bowl add half the bottle of liquid smoke, brown sugar and salt, mix well
use clean hands to coat all of the chicken pieces thoroughly with the marinade
marinate the chicken quarters for 6 - 8 hours, re-coating the chicken every couple hours
when ready remove chicken quarters from the marinade
gently wash the marinade off the chicken using as little water as possible (don't overwash)
apply the remaining liquid smoke to the chicken quarters (even distribution)
place all the chicken quarters in a large roasting pan
set the oven at 275° F. and cook for 2 1/2 hours (lid on)
transfer the cooked chicken quarters to the barbecue grill
smoke the chicken quarters on low heat (away from the fire) for 30 more minutes
Note: It is important not to pressure wash the chicken quarters under the faucet after marinating because it will wash away all of the slightly sweet smokey flavorthat we are trying to capture. Over washing defeats the purpose of marinating.
PS. If it's raining outside and you don't have access to a grill, just continue cooking the chicken leg quarters in the oven for about another hour. I promise it will still come out great.
PPS. What do I do with the chicken skins? Glad you asked. Follow this link: Cacklin Cracklins.
Remove the skins from the chicken thighs and set aside for later use. Add the thighs and 8 cups of water into a large pot. On medium-high heat bring to a boil before adding the dry seasoning and processed vegetables (onions, green bell pepper and celery). Continue boiling for 30 minutes on medium heat then remove the thighs from the boiling liquid and set aside to cool down. Continue cooking on medium heat while stirring occasionally. Debone the thighs and put the meat back into the pot. Continue boiling on medium heat.
Part II - Processing the Chicken Skin
Season the chicken skins with salt and ground red pepper and using a microwavable bowl nuke the skins for 10 minutes on the high setting in your microwave oven. (I use a 700 watt microwave oven. Larger models may take less time to render the oil out of the skins.) After extracting the oil set it aside for later use.
Part III - Canned Biscuits Dumplings
On a glass or porcelain plate paint some of the chicken oil on the surface then lay the biscuit dough on top. Season the individual biscuits to taste before applying more oil. I like to use black pepper and Old Bay seasoning. Note: The seasoning you add to the dumplings is to your taste and is in addition to the list of seasonings above which are added to the boiling liquid.
Next, knead the biscuit dough into a ball and pinch off 3 equal dumplings from each biscuit. Add the dumplings to the pot and continue cooking for another 20 minutes on medium heat.
This savory Cajun Chicken Stew Recipe is easy to prepare, but the one common mistake folks make is trying to prepare a chicken stew with young fryers. A mature hen makes a better stew. The reason why? The meat on a young chicken will fall apart quickly during the cooking process. It takes longer to cook a hen and therefore all of the herbs and spices have more time to come together to create the savory taste.
Ingredients
1 four to five pound hen cut into pieces (never use fryer)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup all-purpose four
2 cups onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
prepare roux with flour and oil until brown in color
add onions, celery and chicken
cook 2 to 3 minutes before adding water, garlic, bell pepper and seasoning
simmer in covered pot until hen is tender (around 1 1/2 hours)
add more water if needed
Serve over cooked rice. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Note: You may substitute the wet roux with 1/2 cup of powdered gumbo roux. KT
Do you want to know a quick and easy way to make some delicious creamy and cheesy white enchiladas (no tomatoes)? Start by turning your crock pot on the low setting and follow the simple instructions below.
Ingredients
2 skinless chicken breasts, diced
1/2 stick butter
1 can Campbell's Creamy Chicken Soup, 14.75 oz.
1 can Campbell's Fiesta Cheese Sauce, 10.75 oz.
4 burrito size flour tortillas
8 oz. shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese
5 oz. Kraft Philadelphia Cooking Creme (original)
1 can green chilies, 4 oz.
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
salt to taste
Instructions
Pour the Campbell's Creamy Chicken Soup into the crockpot and put the cover on to create heat.
In a large skillet, on medium heat, use the half-stick of butter to cook the diced chicken, green chilies, garlic and onion powders and salt. About 10 - 15 minutes. Set aside
Using a pie spatula (or similar device) generously spread the Kraft Philadelphia Cooking Creme on the four flour tortillas.
Divide the cooked chicken into 4 equal parts and create a row of meat across the middle of each tortilla.
Apply about 3 - 4 tablespoons of Campbell's Fiesta Cheese sauce on top of the meat rows.
Sprinkle each row with 1 oz. of shredded Cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese.
Gently roll each tortillas, seal the ends, and place them in the crockpot on top of the Creamy Chicken Soup.
Layer the top of the tortillas with the remaining Fiesta Cheese sauce and shredded cheeses.
Cook on low for 1/2 hour.
This recipe will produce 4 servings, but these are so large that they can be cut in half to serve 8.
Note: If you don't have a crockpot you can use a casserole dish and cook them in your oven.
In a medium sauce pan begin by sautéing the minced onions and butter on medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Add oyster liquid, slowly stir and bring to a low boil. Next, dissolve 1 can of creamy chicken soup into the mixture. Finally, add the canned oysters, chopped green onions and cook on low for another 5 minutes before adding the pint of Borden's Half 'n Half.
Continue cooking on a low heat for another couple minutes. Do not allow the stew to boil at this point and take care not to stir the stew too vigorously lest the cooked oysters fall apart.
This will serve 4 people. Enjoy with your favorite crackers or toast.
A fresh chicken fryer or broiler is better when preparing this wonderfully delicious meal. Use your favorite baking pan, and after 1 hour of marinating the bird, it will be ready for the oven. The entire meal can be cooked and served in around an hour. Makes 4 to 6 servings.
