Comfort food at its finest: Creamy Creole Chicken recipe

From The Simple Comforts Step-by-Step Instant Pot Cookbook by Jeffrey Eisner

CREAMY CREOLE CHICKEN

This is, without question, one of my all-time favorite chicken recipes. The zesty, creamy sauce screams flavor like a brass band marching down Bourbon Street, yet it’s so incredibly simple to make. I am all about smothering this sauce over literally anything you desire (especially Rice Pilaf). Serve the chicken on its own or over pasta, Pineapple Crab Fried Rice, and/or vegetables.

Creamy Creole Chicken
Prep TimeSauté TimePressure Building TimePressure Cook TimeTotal TimeServes
10 MIN12 MIN10-15 MIN5 MIN35 MIN4-6

INGREDIENTS

1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour with a few pinches of garlic powder, Parmesan, black pepper, and seasoned salt mixed in, for dredging

 

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced into 1⁄4-inch-thick cutlets

1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon salted butter

1 bunch scallions, sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 1⁄2 cups chicken broth

 1 tablespoon cajun/creole/Louisiana seasoning (I use Tony Chachere’s)

 

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1⁄2–1 teaspoon cayenne pepper(optional)

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

1⁄3 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

1 (5.2-ounce) package Boursin herb cheese (any flavor) or 4 ounces brick cream cheese, cut into chunky cubes

1⁄3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Put the flour mixture on a large plate. Dredge (coat) the chicken in the flour mixture on both sides. Set aside on a plate.

2. Add the olive oil and butter to the Instant Pot, hit Sauté, and Adjust so it’s on the More or High setting. Once the butter’s melted, add the chicken in batches and lightly brown for about 90 seconds on each side. Transfer to a plate, set aside, and repeat until all cutlets are lightly browned.

Dredged chickenChicken in Instant Pot

3. Add the scallions and all the bell peppers to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute longer. Add the chicken broth, Creole seasoning, parsley, and cayenne (if using). Scrape and deglaze the bottom of the pot to free up any browned bits.

4. Return the chicken to the pot, placing the layers in a criss cross fashion, then top with the diced tomatoes. Secure the lid and move the valve to the sealing position. Hit Cancel and then hit Manual or Pressure Cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release when done.

Vegetables in Instant PotCreamy Creole Chicken

5. Meanwhile, make a slurry by mixing together the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth.

6. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Hit Cancel and then hit Sauté again so it’s on the More or High setting.

Instant Pot SlurryCooked Chicken

7. Add the cream, Boursin or cream cheese, and Parmesan, and stir until combined. Once bubbling, add the cornstarch slurry while stirring constantly. After 30 seconds of bubbling, hit Cancel to turn the pot off. Let rest for 5 minutes to slightly cool, thicken, and come together.

8. Spoon the sauce over the chicken in the serving dish.

Creole SauceCreamy Creole Sauce

JEFF’S TIP

It’s perfectly fine to make this as spicy as you wish. Adding more cayenne, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or even 1 teaspoon Zatarain’s Concentrated Shrimp & Crab Boil will certainly do the trick.

lighter comforts

To make this dish gluten-free, use quinoa or coconut flour instead of all-purpose when dredging the chicken. Using coconut flour will also make it keto-friendly (if you don’t mind a slurry).

To make it paleo, use coconut flour and also sub ghee for the butter, a non-dairy milk (such as almond) for the cream, and nutritional yeast for the Parmesan. And if the slurry is an issue, omit it.

To make it dairy-free, follow the paleo suggestions but leave out the butter/ghee.


Excerpted from THE SIMPLE COMFORTS STEP-BY-STEP INSTANT POT COOKBOOK by Jeffrey Eisner. Copyright © 2022. Available April 2022 from Voracious Books, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.