This Cajun Chicken and Potatoes Skillet is one of the best easy dinner recipes I know. Spicy cajun seasoning coats juicy chicken bites, golden-crispy potatoes and flavorful onion and bell pepper for a budget friendly meal my family absolutely loves!
One of my favorite ways to make chicken and potatoes!
I’m not going to lie, we are definitely a meat and potatoes household. And just an ingredient household in general 🤷🏻♀️ Maybe that’s why our kids decided to plant a huge amount of potatoes this spring, and now we have about 150lbs of potatoes to eat before they go bad 🤣
This Cajun Chicken and Potatoes skillet dinner is one of my favorite ways to make good use of our harvest. As a disclaimer, I don’t know that there is anything cajun to this apart from the seasoning, but it just works so well here! You can absolutely switch up the spices you add to make it your own though. And the best part of this recipe is that it’s budget-friendly and only uses a handful of ingredients.
Also, while I’m a huge fan of one pot meals, I do prefer to boil the sliced potatoes first in this recipe because they just cook faster. I just don’t have the patience, and this way I don’t have to worry about serving my family raw potatoes. For the meat, I use diced chicken thighs – you can use chicken breast if you prefer, just make sure not to overcook it. I also like to brown the boiled potatoes separately before adding the chicken and vegetables back into the skillet. While it’s not technically necessary, it does add another layer of amazing flavor to this meal.
In the end, everything comes together under a blanket of melted cheese – what’s not to love? We like to have some green beans and buttered bread on the side. Because sometimes, you just need real old school comfort food!
Ingredients I like to use
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
- Potatoes: Use smaller, golden potatoes for this recipe. Avoid Russets, they will fall apart.
- Chicken: Like I said, you can use diced chicken breast if you prefer. Or you can even go for smoked sausage if that’s what you have on hand!
- Seasoning: This is what we like best here. I make my own cajun seasoning so I can make it less spicy (still have a kid in the house who thinks cinnamon is spicy…), but just use whatever you like best! We have tried this recipe with taco seasoning – also very delicious!
- Vegetables: I like to add onion and red bell peppers for some color and fiber, but you can skip them if you prefer. Or replace with drained red or black beans, corn, diced celery…
Let’s make a Chicken and Potato Skillet!
1 Prep and cook the potatoes:
You want to start by thinly slicing your potatoes. I don’t peel them because I don’t mind the thin skin on our potatoes, but you can absolutely peel them first if that’s what you prefer.
Keep the slices thin, I do around ¼ inch thick.
Once your potatoes are cut up, add them to a pot of COOL water. We start our potatoes in cool water because that helps to cook them more evenly, and because it makes them less likely to fall apart.
Salt generously, then bring to a boil and simmer for just 3 minutes. Drain and let sit in the colander over your sink so any excess water can evaporate.
2 Cook the chicken:
Bring a large skillet up to medium-high heat (do it gradually if you use more sensitive cookware like enameled cast iron), then add a tablespoon of oil.
Add your cut up chicken thighs and cook for a good 5-6 minutes to give them some color. I like to season them now, and then I also season again later if needed. But I always, ALWAYS season meat as it browns/cooks initially, because if you don’t, it will be bland.
3 Add the vegetables:
I usually dice up the vegetables while my chicken is cooking, and I like to keep them quite small. Somehow, smaller dices just work better in this dish:
Add both to the skillet with the chicken, stir well and cook for another 5-8 minutes, until fully softened. I like to adjust my seasoning now to make sure everything is full of flavor.
Once everything is cooked, remove it from the skillet and set it aside.
4 Brown the potatoes:
You’ll want to add more oil to that same skillet now, so that the potatoes get nice and golden brown. Add the drained potatoes to the hot oil and cook them over medium heat until they are browned to your liking – I usually try not to stir too much, so they get a chance to form a little bit of a crispy crust.
(This photo above is right after adding them to the skillet, but then I forgot to take another photo when they were done – so just imagine some nice color on them!)
5 Bring it all together:
Once you are happy with your potatoes, stir the chicken/vegetable mixture back into the skillet and let everything come together and heat through. And adjust the seasoning one more time now!
Sprinkle your cheddar cheese on top, cover, take off the heat after a minute and allow the cheese to fully melt.
Then, serve right away while the cheesy is all melty and gooey!
Top tips from my kitchen
As this is currently one of our favorite meals and I make it constantly, I have a lot to say about what works and what doesn’t work here:
- Chicken dicing: Every single time, I cut the chicken pieces too large. Once the chicken is cooking in the skillet with the vegetables, I realize my mistake – and luckily, you can easily make the pieces smaller with a spatula at this point! I always do, because this recipe just works best when everything is cut up in a way that makes it easy to have a little bit of everything in each bite!
- Don’t skip boiling the potatoes: I have tried, and it just doesn’t work as well. Yes, it uses one dish less, but also, it takes a whole lot longer to cook. Plus, my potatoes just fell apart in the end from all the stirring it took to cook them all evenly. It may seem like a nuisance, but it really does work best to quickly pre-cook the sliced potatoes.
- Season in layers: It may seem like you’re doing an awful lot of seasoning here – but just go in layers. Don’t add too much at once, but season several times throughout the cooking process. It really does wonders for the final flavor!
- Patience with the chicken and vegetables: One of the key steps in this recipe is cooking the chicken and vegetables. Apart from seasoning in layers, you also add a lot of flavor here from the browning, and from fully cooking your vegetables. Allow the onion and peppers to fully cook and soften, this is how you get the best flavor. It will definitely take at least 5 minutes, probably closer to 8!
- Serve hot: I don’t know about you, but I just don’t like the taste of lukewarm chicken. In my house, this goes straight from stove to table for the best flavor and the meltiest cheese!
Leftovers
Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat until steaming hot all the way through.
You can also reheat in the microwave if you prefer, it’s easier and less mess, but I do like the extra browning I get from reheating it in a skillet on the stove!
And side note, reheated leftovers are not too bad for breakfast!
Side dishes we like with our Cajun Chicken and Potatoes
Like I said at the beginning, we like to have some greens and some bread on the side! Here are our favorites:
All in all, this is a total keeper for us: Quick to prep, easy to make and delicious to eat! Print the recipe here:
Cajun Chicken and Potatoes Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds yellow potatoes (thinly sliced)
- 2 tablespoons oil (divided use)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (diced)
- seasoning to taste (Cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper)
- 1 yellow onion (finely diced)
- 2 red bell peppers (finely diced)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Prep potatoes: Place the potatoes in a pot of cold SALTED water, bring to a boil, and boil for about 3 minutes, until just tender. Drain and set aside.1 ½ pounds yellow potatoes
- Cook chicken: In the meantime, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the chicken and cook until browned, about 5 minutes, seasoning to taste as it cooks.1 tablespoons oil, 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, seasoning to taste
- Add vegetables: Once the chicken is browned, add the onion and peppers to the skillet and cook for 5-8 more minutes, until fully softened. Season to taste again, then remove to a plate.1 yellow onion, 2 red bell peppers, seasoning to taste
- Brown potatoes: Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the cooked and drained potatoes and cook them until browned and crispy – don’t stir too much, allow them to get golden on the underside.1 tablespoons oil
- Finish: Once the potatoes are done to your liking, add the chicken and vegetables back to the skillet. Stir to heat through, adjust seasoning to taste, then sprinkle with cheese. Take off the heat, cover and allow the cheese to melt. Serve immediately.1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, seasoning to taste
Video
More easy chicken dinners
You can never have too many ways to make chicken for dinner! If you enjoyed this chicken and potato skillet, you may also like these recipes:
- One Pan Chicken Thighs and Pasta
- Chicken and Corn Chowder
- One Pan Chicken and Biscuits
- Instant Pot Bacon Ranch Chicken and Potatoes
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