Cajun Honey Glazed Chicken Bowls

Mardi Gras. Beignets. King cake. The Spanish Town parade. Rémy in crawfish claws (year four — the claws have been reinforced with new cardboard and duct tape; they are essentially a ship of Theseus at this point, every original part replaced but the crawfish remains). Colette in a gold and purple outfit she designed herself. Luc in the Saints jersey (some things never change; some things shouldn't).

Made a shrimp Creole for Mardi Gras dinner — a break from the usual jambalaya, because even traditions can rotate, and the Creole's tomato brightness felt right for the festive energy of the day. Plus a dirty rice that Rémy helped make — he measured the rice, he browned the meat, he stirred the trinity. He's seven and he's making dirty rice. Not watching. Making. The line between student and cook is blurring, and I'm letting it blur, because the blur is the point. The blur is where the learning becomes the doing and the doing becomes the being.

Laissez les bons temps rouler. The good times rolled today. They'll roll again next year. They'll roll as long as there are Beaumonts and beignets and boys in crawfish claws and girls in gold and purple and mothers who organize and fathers who cook and the whole messy, loud, powdered-sugar-covered family that is this life. Roll, cher. Roll.

The shrimp Creole was the star of our Mardi Gras table this year, but the Cajun spirit that drove it — that sweet-and-spicy, throw-it-all-in-the-pot energy that Rémy caught when he browned the meat and stirred the holy trinity — lives just as much in these Cajun Honey Glazed Chicken Bowls. On the nights when the parade beads are still on the mantle and the powdered sugar hasn’t fully come out of the tablecloth, this is the bowl I reach for: bold, warm, a little sweet, unmistakably Louisiana. Laissez les bons temps rouler — right into dinner.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Crystal or Tabasco)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked white rice or dirty rice, for serving
1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned and drained)
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Season the chicken. In a large bowl, toss chicken pieces with Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, hot sauce, and soy sauce. Set aside.
Sear the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook without stirring for 3–4 minutes until a golden crust forms. Flip and cook another 3–4 minutes until cooked through.
Add garlic and glaze. Reduce heat to medium. Push chicken to one side, add butter and minced garlic to the pan, and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour the honey glaze over the chicken and toss to coat. Let the glaze caramelize for 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Warm the vegetables. In a separate small pan over medium heat, warm the corn and black beans together with a pinch of Cajun seasoning for 2–3 minutes. Add diced red bell pepper and cook 1 minute more.
Assemble the bowls. Divide rice among four bowls. Top with the Cajun honey glazed chicken, then spoon the corn, black bean, and pepper mixture alongside. Spoon any remaining glaze from the pan over the top.
Garnish and serve. Finish with sliced green onions and fresh parsley. Serve immediately while hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Cajun Honey Glazed Chicken Bowls — When Remy Stirs the Trinity and the Good Times Roll