This sticky chicken recipe comes from Lafayette, LA – The Heart Of Cajun Country
Having lived in Cajun country for ten years, I’ve decided to share this Cajun Sticky Chicken Recipe with those who want to experience the magic that is this dish. I make this dish for my family about 3 times a month and the kids absolutely love it. This is also one of my go-to dishes when friends and relatives come for dinner.
One thing that was always a turn-off for me with the more traditional ways of making Cajun Sticky Chicken was the soggy chicken skin left at the end of the cooking process. I wondered why we would brown the chicken skin and make this piece of the chicken exactly the way people preferred and then turn around and make it soggy. That’s one of the reasons this version of sticky chicken is so delicious. I take the skins and use them as a garnish and people just love it.
Cajun Sticky Chicken Recipe – Dad’s Version
Equipment
- Large Pot A large cast iron pot, dutch oven, or Magnalite pot (this is what I use)
- Large metal spoon If you have a meta spoon with a flat edge that it ideal. It needs to be sturdy enough to scrape the sticky chicken off the bottom of the pot.
- Baking Sheet For the chicken cracklins
Ingredients
- 8 Chicken Thighs (bone-in and skin on)
- 1 Yellow Onion (Chopped)
- 1 Bell Pepper – Chopped (Chopped)
- 6 cloves Garlic (Minced)
- 2 tbsp Louisiana Hot Sauce
- 1 tbsp Worchestershire Sauce
- 2 Chicken Bullion Cubes
- 4 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 4 tbsp Cajun Seasoning
- 8 cups Water
- 1 bundle Green onions (chopped)
Instructions
- Season both sides on the chicken with liberal amounts of Cajun seasoning. Go a little lighter on the skin side (too much on the skin will make the "cracklins" too salty)
- Heat oil in your large pot over medium-high heat
- Once oil is hot, add seasoned chicken to the pot, skin side down.
- Cook until skin is well-browned
- Turn thighs over and cook until the other side is well browned.
- Remove chicken from the pot.
- After you remove chicken, remove the browned chicken skin from the thighs and place on a baking sheet
- Reduce heat to low and add onions and bell pepper
- Cook onions and bell pepper until they are nice and soft… almost like a paste
- Add hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce to pot, stir well
- Add water and bullion cubes and stir until cubes are fully dissolved
- Add garlic and chicken back to the pot
- Reduce heat to low and cook until water covers about 2/3 of the thighs
- Stir and flip chicken thighs over occasionally to ensure even cooking of thighs
- Cook low and slow until the "gravy" is low and has thickened a little. This usually takes 1 – 1.5 hours.
- Broil the chicken skin, skin side down, for about 1.5 to 2 minutes
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
My best contribution to cajun cooking…. using the skin to make “chicken cracklins” that you can then put on top of the final dish. No one likes soggy chicken skin so why not turn it into an amazing compliment to the dish?
If you don’t have bouillon cubes, you can just add a 32 oz container of chicken stock or even broth. If you don’t have either of those, you can just use water but you’ll lose a little flavor.
Serve over rice and garnish with fresh chopped green onions and sliced chicken cracklins. Traditionally Cajuns each this dish with sliced fresh tomatoes and cucumbers seasoned with salt and pepper (or cajun seasoning).
** Add vinegar to your rice and gravy for an authentic Cajun taste
3 Comments
Loved it!
We made this recipe the other night and our kids couldn’t stop eating it. They especially enjoyed the cracklins! Thanks so much!
Absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing!