Chicken Étouffée
Chicken étouffée is a rich and savory Louisiana chicken stew made with a brown roux, the cajun holy trinity, and chicken thighs smothered in a creamy flavorful sauce. Perfect when you’re craving crawfish étouffée out of season! Serve it over white rice for a hearty satisfying meal.
Étouffée is a classic cajun dish right up there with gumbo and red beans and rice. For more variations of this, check out catfish étouffée, crawfish étouffée, shrimp étouffée, and seafood étouffée.
What is Étouffée?
Étouffée means “smothered” in French, and became a popular dish with the Cajun French settlers (Acadians) in South Louisiana. The cooking method of smothering usually starts with browning meat (in this case chicken), sautéing aromatics, then simmering low and slow in broth or stock until a luscious sauce forms and the meat is tender.
Étouffée is typically made with a peanut butter color roux of flour and butter, but some versions don’t use a roux at all. (Read more about roux.) It also has the cajun holy trinity (onions, bell peppers, and celery), a stock, and a protein. It’s a rich and flavorful stew like dish that is a staple of Louisiana cuisine.
Crawfish étouffée is the most popular étouffée dish, but you can make it with chicken, shrimp, catfish, or other seafood.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Boneless chicken thighs – You can use bone-in chicken thighs too, but it’s best to debone them before serving. Chicken breasts work in a pinch, but thighs are much better for smothering. You can substitute for crawfish, shrimp, or other proteins. (See crawfish étouffée for more details.)
- Cajun seasoning – Use your favorite kind, but adjust for salt and spice level. I prefer making my own cajun seasoning. It has the perfect amount of spice, and is less salty than store bought brands.
- Unsalted butter – Since cajun seasonings can get salty, I start with unsalted butter.
- Holy trinity – The aromatic base of this dish includes yellow onion, bell pepper, and celery. I like using a combination of red and green bell peppers, but you can use either or. Read more about the holy trinity of cajun cooking.
- Other produce – Lots of garlic, parsley and green onions. You can skip parsley if you must, but I really love layering green onions in the dish so you get some cooked down, and some fresh. It brightens up this otherwise rich dish.
- Browning sauce – This is optional, but I like the depth of flavor it adds. You can also cook your roux a little longer. I use Kitchen Bouquet, see the photo above. It can be found in the seasoning aisle.
- White rice – See my white rice recipe to learn how to make perfectly cooked rice every time.
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Chicken Étouffée
- Season and sear the chicken thighs until browned and set aside. They won’t be fully cooked at this stage.
- Melt butter and whisk in flour. Stir constantly until the roux darkens to a rich peanut butter color. (For roux help, see How to Make a Roux)
- Add in vegetables and sauté until soft, then add garlic.
- Whisk in warmed chicken broth until combined. Turn the heat down and simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens.
- Remove the chicken thighs and cut into bite sized pieces, then add back to the skillet.
- Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Top with green onions, parsley, and serve over rice!
Lauren’s Tips
- Keep stirring the roux constantly, scraping down the sides, so it doesn’t burn.
- Since this roux is made with butter, you may see some darker specks as the roux cooks. This is the milk solids of the butter browning faster than the flour. This is fine and adds to the deep flavor.
- To make a creole version with tomatoes: reduce the stock to 1 ½ cups add a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes right after adding the warmed stock.
- Layer the flavors. Cooking some green onions down with the trinity, then adding some fresh green onions on top helps layer the flavors and textures of this dish.
A Note About Chicken Thighs
I’ve tested this recipe with whole bone-in chicken thighs, boneless chicken thighs, chopped up chicken thighs, and chicken breasts.
I have found it’s best to sear the chicken thighs whole before simmering, then cut them up later. While this does add an extra step, it also adds extra flavor! If you cut up the thighs first and add them to the skillet, it is harder for the pieces to get a good sear on them. But if you sear the thighs whole, they can develop a nice browned crust that adds to the delicious flavor of this dish. If you’re short on time or want to save a step, you can go ahead and cut them up first.
It’s also important to note that the chicken thighs won’t be fully cooked at the searing step. They will continue to cook while simmering in the sauce.
You can also make this dish with bone-in chicken thighs for even more flavor. Just debone and chop the chicken before serving. If you need to, you can make this with chicken breasts too, but thighs hold up much better to the long cooking time and taste better in the final dish.
Want more info on the best way to make chicken? See How to Cook Perfectly Juicy Chicken Breasts Every Time and Blackened Chicken Breast.
Equipment Needed
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Buy Now → Storage & Make Ahead
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze étouffée separately without rice for up to 6 months.
- Reheat leftovers gently on the stove with a splash of water or broth to loosen up the sauce. Microwave can work too, but do it in increments, stirring in between, so the sauce doesn’t break.
- This is a great dish to make ahead of time since it gets even better the next day. Make a day ahead of time as directed. Cool well, then store in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a skillet until warmed.
Did you love this recipe? Please leave a comment and let me know!
Authentic Chicken Étouffée Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless chicken thighs
- 2-3 teaspoons cajun seasoning (*see note)
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 large onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 stalks celery
- 5 green onions
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 cups chicken broth (warmed)
- 1 teaspoon browning sauce (*see note)
- ¼ cup parsley leaves (loosely packed)
- Cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- PREP: Finely chop onion, bell peppers, celery, green onions, and parsley. Mince garlic. Measure out other ingredients. Season chicken to taste with cajun seasoning.
- SEAR: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add avocado oil. Sear chicken thighs in batches, about 3-5 minutes on each side until browned, then set aside.
- ROUX: In the same skillet, lower heat to medium and melt butter. Whisk flour into the butter. It may be foamy at first. Cook while stirring constantly for about 10-15 minutes, or until the roux turns to a medium brown peanut butter color.
- SAUTÉ: Add in onions, bell peppers, celery, and half the green onions to the roux. Mix together and sauté for about 10 minutes until vegetables are softening. Stir and scrape the bottom frequently so nothing sticks. Add in garlic and cook for about 1 minute while stirring. Warm the chicken broth while the vegetables are sautéing.
- SIMMER: Slowly whisk in warmed broth until it is all incorporated and there are no remaining lumps of flour. Add browning sauce and stir. Add chicken back to pan and simmer on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency and the chicken is cooked through.
- FINISH: Remove chicken thighs, chop into bitesized pieces, and add back to the pot. Add parsley and more cajun seasoning if needed.
- SERVE: Serve over rice and top with remaining green onions.
Notes
- Make your own cajun seasoning. If using store bought, season to taste as it may be more salty.
- I use Kitchen Bouquet Browning Sauce.
- Substitute boneless chicken thighs for bone-in chicken thighs.
- Use my white rice recipe for perfect rice every time.
- Keep stirring the roux constantly, being sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the pan to keep all the flour moving so it doesn’t burn. You may see some darker specks turning brown – this is the milk solids browning. This is fine as long as they are not turning black. Black spots means a burnt roux and you have to start over.
- Add tomatoes – If you want tomatoes for a creole version, reduce the stock to 1 ½ cups add a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes right after adding the warmed stock.
- Store in the fridge for 5 days and the freezer for 6 months.
- Reheat in a skillet over gentle heat.
Equipment
Nutrition
Meet Lauren
I’m the blogger, recipe developer, food photographer, and otherwise food obsessed gal behind Lauren From Scratch. I was born and raised in New Orleans and lived in South Louisiana most of my life. Growing up around Cajun country has instilled a love of food that runs deep in my bones. I am passionate about food and teaching you how to make mouth-watering Louisiana inspired dishes in your own kitchen!
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This was my first time making etouffee.
I used andouille, but your sauce was amazing!
And the recipe was very precise, but not difficult to execute.
Also, I think it would be very versatile with any protein.
Definitely my new go to comfort food.
I would definitely recommend this recipe.
I love hearing that, John! It’s so good with shrimp too.
I made the creole version and used your creole seasoning recipe. My husband is from New Orleans and said it was delicious!! Thank you for providing options. ❤️
Thanks, Robyn! It’s always a special compliment coming from a New Orleanian!
Really good recipe! Subbed a pound of chicken for a pound of shrimp and with it being Hatch chili season where we are I subbed that for the green bell pepper and used fire roasted tomatoes for a western take on it.. Came out excellent.
Ohhh I bet the hatch chiles were so good with this! Thanks for leaving a comment!
So so good as is! My family and I loved this recipe.
Thanks, Brenda! So happy y’all liked it.
I followed recipe for the tomato option and it is DELICIOUS!
So happy you liked it, Christi!
I’d been looking for something different to do with chicken and this turned out to be exactly what I was looking for! This was excellent and I’m definitely adding it to my regular rotation!
Happy you liked it, Victor! This is one of my favorites. The sauce is just so rich and silky.
Came out really good!
Made for my husband , and in laws, they said it was really good!
I added a bit more Cajun spice since we like our food spicy!
so happy yall liked it!