These Crispy Cajun Chicken bites are extremely crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside, seasoned with spices, and oven-fried to perfection.
Served with Homemade Chipotle Mayo, these are sure to satisfy your deepest crispy chicken cravings!
Crispy Cajun Chicken
I have another delicious oven-fried chicken recipe for you guys today: Crispy Cajun Chicken. Or should I say Crispy Cajun Chicken Bites…?
Yup. It’s as delicious as it sounds (and looks): hella crispy, flavorful, spiced, oven-fried because we don’t have time for actual frying and this is healthier but just as good.
And topped with a creamy homemade chipotle mayo for extra deliciousness, let’s do it!
Why this recipe works:
- Crispy like fried chicken. These cajun chicken bites are coated in a deliciously crispy and flavorful mix of crushed cornflakes and cajun spices.
- Oven-fried. Oven-frying is healthier, easier, quicker, and just as satisfying crunch-wise and flavor-wise.
- Cajun flavor. This chicken is packed with flavor thanks to cajun spices!
- Homemade Chipotle Mayo. Spiced, tangy, and deliciously creamy: this sauce will take your cajun chicken to the next level and it’s ready in just 5 minutes.
Ingredients for Crispy Cajun Chicken
Full recipe and quantities are in the recipe card down below, this is an informational recap 🙂 .
Chicken. Skinless, boneless. You can use any cut though. I recommend thick cuts so you can chop them up into bites and basically make popcorn cajun chicken with a juicy center.
Buttermilk or milk and vinegar/lemon juice. This is for the marinade. You can marinate for just 30 minutes or start the process the day before and marinate overnight so the next day you’re ready to oven-fry it! This type of marinade guarantees a crazy tender and juicy chicken.
Cornflakes for the coating. I recommend crushing them with a food processor because it takes just a few seconds but a ziplock bag and rolling pin will also work.
Flour for the coating.
Cajun seasoning. If you don’t have cajun seasoning, you can make it at home. I will share the exact quantities and spices in the notes section of the recipe card down below.
Vegetable oil for oven-frying. Sunflower or canola also work. This is one of the ingredients and steps that are essential when it comes to oven-frying. Basically, when you brush the coated chicken with oil and bake it at a really hot temperature, the coating is actually frying which results in a very crispy and flavorful bite.
Mayonnaise for the chipotle mayo. You can also do half mayo, half sour cream.
Lime juice for some tang. Lemon juice will also work.
Paprika, chili and chipotle powder for the sauce.
How to make Crispy Cajun Chicken Bites
STEP ONE: Marinate the chicken. In a ziplock bag, add the chicken, buttermilk, cajun, salt, and pepper. Massage the chicken until evenly coated. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
STEP TWO: Make the Cajun coating. Preheat the oven to 425 F (210 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the crushed cornflakes, flour, cajun, salt, and pepper to a shallow bowl and mix until combined.
STEP THREE: Coat the chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and dredge it into your prepared coating mixture, then place it onto your prepared baking sheet.
STEP FOUR: Brush with oil. Brush or drizzle each piece of chicken with oil, then place in the oven immediately. This is what makes oven-frying possible.
STEP FIVE: Bake for 10-20 minutes or until the coating is golden brown and crispy and the chicken is fully cooked (centers should measure 165F or 73C in temperature). Flip halfway through baking time, if needed. Meanwhile, make the homemade Chipotle Mayo.
STEP SIX: Make the homemade Chipotle Mayo. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lime juice, smoked paprika, chili powder, and chipotle powder. Taste and adjust, if desired. Add the water to thin it out (to taste, optional).
Can you make this ahead of time?
Yes. To make ahead of time, follow step 1, then place the chicken in the refrigerator and let marinate overnight. The next day, follow step 2.
How do I store this?
Store any leftover chicken in an air-tight container for up to 2-3 days.
Store any leftover Chipotle Mayo covered in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
How do you reheat Cajun chicken bites?
To reheat, brush with extra oil, and reheat in the oven at 400F (200C) for 8-10 minutes or until hot (165F or 73C) and crispy again.
You want to reheat at a high temperature for a short amount of time to keep the chicken from drying out.
HAPPY COOKING!! I hope you’ll love this Crispy Cajun Chicken Recipe as much as I do!
PS: Please leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating ⭐️ if you make it! Your comments make my day!! You can also tag me on Instagram @itsdamnspicy 🌈💘
More oven-fried chicken recipes you’ll love:
Baked Cajun Popcorn Chicken
Ingredients
For the Cajun Chicken Marinade
- 2 lbs (900 g) boneless chicken (chopped)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk mixed with 1 and 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar, mix and let sit for 10 minutes)
- 1 tsp cajun seasoning* (*see notes down below for homemade cajun seasoning mix)
- Salt and pepper
For The Crispy Cajun Coating
- 2 cups (55 g) cornflakes (crushed)
- 2 tbsp (15 g) flour
- 2 tbsp cajun seasoning* (*see notes down below for homemade cajun seasoning mix)
- Vegetable oil (for brushing)
- Salt and pepper
For the Homemade Chipotle Mayo
- 1/2 cup (115 g) mayonnaise
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/8 tsp chipotle powder
- 1-2 tbsp tbsp water (to thin out the sauce, optional and to taste)
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. In a ziplock bag, add the chicken, buttermilk, cajun, salt, and pepper. Massage the chicken until evenly coated. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Make the Cajun coating. Preheat the oven to 425 F (210 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the crushed cornflakes, flour, cajun, salt, and pepper to a shallow bowl and mix until combined.
- Coat the chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade (discard the marinade) and dredge it into your prepared coating mixture, then place it onto your prepared baking sheet.
- Brush with oil. Brush or drizzle each piece of chicken with oil, then place in the oven immediately. This is what makes oven-frying possible.
- Bake for 10-20 minutes or until the coating is golden brown and crispy and the chicken is fully cooked (centers should measure 165F or 73C in temperature). Flip halfway through baking time, if needed. Meanwhile, make the homemade Chipotle Mayo.
- Make the homemade Chipotle Mayo. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lime juice, smoked paprika, chili powder, and chipotle powder. Taste and adjust, if desired. Add the water to thin it out (to taste, optional).
Notes
📷 DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?! Tag @itsdamnspicy on Instagram and hashtag it #itsdamnspicy
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