Chicken Lazone is one of those dishes that feels restaurant-worthy without requiring restaurant-level effort. Tender seasoned chicken, a silky Cajun cream sauce, and pasta make this New Orleans classic feel both comforting and just a little bit special.
If you love creamy Cajun pasta dishes, you might also like Louisiana Chicken Pasta and Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta.
If you want a chicken pasta that tastes like it came from a polished New Orleans dining room, Chicken Lazone is the one to make. I love this dish because it delivers big flavor with a simple technique: pan-seared chicken, a creamy spiced sauce, and pasta that catches every last bit of it.
This spicy Chicken Lazone Pasta is proof that restaurant-quality flavor doesn't require a reservation - just 30 minutes and a hot skillet. Rich, boldly seasoned, and impossible to put down, it's the perfect fiery pasta dinner for feeding a crowd, just like the irresistible Chipotle Chicken Pasta that spicy food lovers can't stop making.
What is Chicken Lazone Pasta
This creamy chicken pasta recipe comes from the restaurant "Brennan's" located in New Orleans. There it was created by the executive chef of Brennan's, Lazone Randolph, who developed a simple method to whip up a quick New Orleans sauce that goes well with spicy chicken pasta.
Even though the chef is long gone and the amazing spicy chicken pasta dish is off the restaurant's menu, the Chicken Lazone recipe itself lives on and is still there on the Internet.
Why You'll Love Chicken Lazone
- Seriously spicy and satisfying - The bold Cajun-spiced cream sauce delivers a real kick of heat in every single bite, making this the ultimate pasta for spice lovers.
- Restaurant quality in 30 minutes - No reservations needed. This Authentic Cajun Cuisine recipe tastes like a dish you'd pay top dollar for.
- Easy to customize - Dial the spice up or down, swap the protein, or toss in your favorite vegetables - this recipe bends to your cravings.
Ingredients for Chicken Lazone
- Pasta: Linguine is the classic choice, though fettuccine, spaghetti, or penne work well to capture the creamy sauce.
- Chicken tenders: This type of chicken prevails here in terms of taste and texture. Chicken tenders bring up a plethora of flavors in spicy chicken pasta.
- Spices and seasonings: Because chicken tenders are coated in special mix of paprika, creole seasoning and flour mixture and then pan seared in a hot pan - the resulting texture of the spicy chicken is nothing short of amazing!
- Butter and Heavy Cream: The foundation of the sauce that combines richness and silkiness.
- Flour: Used as a thickening agent in the sauce, ensuring perfect coating consistency.
- Fresh Parsley: Adds color and a fresh herbal note as garnish.
How to Make Chicken Lazone
1. Prepare the Seasoning Mixture
Combine sea salt, Creole seasoning, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and flour into a bowl. This blend will coat the chicken and flavor the sauce.
2. Dredge the Chicken
Using a fork or tongs, dredge chicken tenders in the seasoning and flour until evenly coated. Shake off excess.
3. Pan-Sear the Chicken
Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken tenders and cook for 4 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Remove chicken and keep warm.
4. Make the Creamy Sauce
- Melt butter in the pan and add remaining seasoning mixture into the sauce. This mixture will have all the spices to make your sauce taste wonderful!
- Use flour. If not using remaining mixture, make sure to use 2 tablespoons of flour and add more Creole seasoning, paprika and garlic powder (one teaspoon of each) to bring the flavor in.
- Make sure to cook the flour for 2-3 minutes until flour is no longer raw.
5. Cook the Pasta
Boil linguine in salted water according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining.
6. Combine Pasta and Sauce
Add cooked linguine and reserved pasta water to the sauce; toss gently to coat the pasta fully.
7. Assemble and Serve
Return chicken to the skillet, spooning sauce over the tenders. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately for a restaurant-quality experience.
Chicken Pasta is one of the most versatile dinners you can make - check out The Complete Guide to Pasta Recipes for all the variations.
Brennan's-Style Chicken Lazone
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Equipment
- 1 cast iron skillet
- 1 spider strainer
Ingredients
Seasoning Mixture
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoon Creole seasoning (or Cajun seasoning)
- 2 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
Chicken
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 lb chicken tenders
Sauce:
- 4 tablespoon butter
- Remaining seasoning mixture
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Pasta
- 8 oz. linguine
- 2 tablespoon parsley chopped
- ½ cup Pasta water (reserve it)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine salt, Creole seasoning, paprika powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and flour. Dredge the chicken in the seasoning mixture and shake off excess. Reserve any leftover spice/flour mix for the sauce.
- Preheat large saute pan, add olive oil and melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken tenders until done, about 8 minutes (3-4 minutes per each side). Remove from the pan.
- Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the empty skillet and add remaining seasoning mixture into the butter until cook it until flour is no longer raw. Add more paprika and heavy cream into the skillet. Bring to a boiling point.
- Lower heat and simmer 3-4 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning to your liking.
Pasta
- Boil pasta in salty water, drain, but do not rinse. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water. If you think the sauce needs thinning, add reserved pasta water to the sauce. Add it slow - as much as you would like to have according to your liking.
- Add cooked pasta into the sauce and stir until fully coated. Add chicken into the skillet with pasta to reheat.
- Serve with sauce spooned over chicken and pasta, and sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Video
Why Pasta Water is Your Best Friend
- Pasta water is really is a key ingredient to consistency in every sauce. The starch left behind in the water acts as a thickening agent and helps sauces cling to the pasta. That's exactly what makes a good pasta sauce.
- Pasta soaks up liquid so quickly so make sure to add enough pasta water to make it quite liquidy. This way when you serve into bowls and take to the table it hasn't dried up.
- My recommendation is to never drain my pasta in a colander. Instead always transfer it directly to the sauce using a spider strainer. That way the pasta pot full of water is left there for you to ladle in as you need.
Tips for a Silky Cajun Cream Sauce
- Use fresh, high-quality spices and adjust heat levels by modifying cayenne and Creole seasonings.
- Reserve pasta water to create a silky, emulsified sauce that clings perfectly.
- Cook the sauce over medium-low heat to prevent curdling of heavy cream.
- If your sauce is too thick, you can thin down its consistency with pasta water or half-and-half.
- Use either heavy cream or half and half: Creams are all called slightly different things in different countries. Here in United States, you would use half-and-half or heavy cream for this creamy sauce.
Recipe Variations
- Make it Extra Spicy: For a bolder Cajun flavor, add extra black pepper or a bit more smoked paprika. Increase the heat by using the full amount or even doubling the cayenne pepper in the Cajun seasoning mix.
- Make it Mild: Omit the cayenne pepper entirely from the seasoning if you're spice-averse. Try using a milder Cajun or Creole seasoning blend (store-bought "mild" blends are available), or simply leave out other hot spices altogether.
- Make it Extra Creamy: Add full 2 ounces of cream cheese instead of heavy cream at the end for a rich, luscious sauce.
- Dairy-free? Substitute a can of coconut milk, but reduce the chicken broth to 1 cup to keep it thick.
- Make it Non-Creamy: Simply skip the cream-this version is also flavorful, just less rich. You can also substitute the cream with a small amount of extra broth to loosen the sauce if needed.
FAQ
Why did my sauce split? The most common reason for this is your temperature being too high or the transition from cold to hot is too drastic. To solve this is make sure to follow these tips: Lower heat is best for control, then gently simmer Give it a really good whisk to emulsify when you add the cream in. Add the cheese in a few lots, letting it gently melt in between each addition.
How do I keep Chicken Lazone sauce from getting too thick? I keep the heat moderate and add a little liquid if the sauce reduces too quickly. That way the cream sauce stays silky instead of turning pasty or tight.
Can I make Chicken Lazone without pasta? Yes, and I actually think the sauce is versatile enough to serve in a few different ways. You can spoon it over rice, potatoes, or vegetables if you want to skip the pasta.
Storage, Refrigeration, Making Ahead
- Keep creamy chicken pasta thin and flat: Keeping the food thin and flat rather than thick will help the center to chill faster.
- Chill then freeze: The best way to freeze creamy chicken pasta is to do it fast. Chill the food first in the refrigerator before putting it in the freezer.
- Individual portions for weekly meal prep: You can also load up a sheet pan with individual portions. This works well for weeknight meal prep. Just be sure you have room for it in the refrigerator and freezer.
- Reheat slowly: Reheating the sauce very slowly on low heat is the best way to prevent the splitting. You might also want to add additional liquids: either heavy cream or chicken stock, or both.
What to Serve with Chicken Lazone
- Sides: Serve Chicken Lazone Pasta with Olive Garden-style salad, or Zesty Brussels Sprout Coleslaw. You can also serve it with roasted vegetables like honey carrots or Zucchini Carpaccio.
- Bread: Delicious with a slice of Dutch Oven Bread. Authentic Italian Bruschetta and crostini are perfect for soaking up extra sauce.
- Serve the sauce and chicken over various pasta shapes, rice, or even potatoes, and add in extras like spinach or mushrooms to taste.
torrey huss says
added some cheddar cheese to it and a little more onion powder came out great.
Olya Shepard says
Great idea on both!
Katie says
Can you season the chicken ahead and place in the fridge for a few hours?
Olga says
Yes, definitely!
Kathy says
This recipe was fantastic! My family loved it agreed the chicken comes out so tender! We adjusted the ratio of ingredients for more chicken & pasta to feed growing college age kids who love leftovers, and the sauce came out a little thick & just but in some pasta water. Perfect! Will be making this easy recipe again!
Olya Shepard says
Sounds so wonderful!
Eva says
Such a great recipe for pasta and chicken! Made it so many times with and without spice
Vanessa says
Tips/suggestions for adding vegetables to this dish?
Olya says
Mushrooms would be a good choice, but you can also add asparagus and/or broccoli (cooked) as well.
Cameron Snell says
Super easy to make and extremely delicious! We will definitely make this a staple in our rotation!
Olya says
Wonderful and what a great review! Thank you!
Christine Wojciechowski says
Delicious! We loved it as is. The only thing I did different was I did 1/2 heavy cream and half fat free 1/2 & 1/2! Thank you for the recipe. Pinned to my Tried and True board!
Olya says
Thank you, Christine! So glad you loved it!!
Denise says
One of my family’s very favorites. I substitute milk for the cream and half the butter for olive oil, never miss it. My boys have been known to lick the plate clean - literally!
Olya says
We love to lick plates here too! Thank you Denise for such a warm review!
Kate says
Hi Olga, I made another one of your dishes using paprika but found the flavour to overwhelming (Chicken thighs with lemon garlic and beans).
What type of paprika do you use in your recipes please? (I used smoked paprika).
Love your recipes:)
Olga says
I usually use only sweet paprika. I do not use smoked paprika. I agree that it's very overpowering.
Cameron Snell says
We used smoked paprika and it was delicious!
Olya says
Smoked paprika is so delish!