If you love the sizzling Bourbon Street Chicken from Applebee’s, this easy copycat-inspired recipe brings those same bold, buttery flavors home. Juicy Cajun-seasoned chicken breasts are seared until beautifully browned, then topped with sautéed mushrooms, onions, and a rich garlic butter sauce.
Despite the name, Applebee’s Bourbon Street Chicken does not need bourbon to deliver its signature flavor. The “Bourbon Street” name refers to the dish’s New Orleans-inspired Cajun seasonings. That means you can make this flavorful restaurant-style chicken with everyday ingredients—no special trip to the liquor store required.
Serve it sizzling with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli for a complete Applebee’s-inspired dinner that’s easy enough for a weeknight.
Other Cajun Inspired Recipes You’ll Love
Why You’ll Love This Bourbon Street Chicken Recipe
- Bold Cajun flavor without being overwhelmingly spicy
- Juicy, tender chicken with a beautifully browned crust
- Buttery sautéed mushrooms and onions
- Ready in approximately 30 minutes
- Made with simple, affordable ingredients
- Easy to serve with your favorite steakhouse-style sides
- No bourbon required
What Is Bourbon Street Chicken?
Bourbon Street Chicken is a Cajun-inspired chicken dish made popular by Applebee’s. The restaurant version is served sizzling in a cast-iron skillet with blackened chicken, seasoned mushrooms, onions, and garlic butter.
Unlike bourbon chicken commonly found at mall food courts, this recipe is savory rather than sweet. It does not have a sticky brown sugar or soy sauce glaze. Instead, it gets its flavor from Cajun seasoning, garlic, butter, and the browned bits left in the skillet.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Chicken
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- Cajun seasoning
- Smoked paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried thyme
- Black pepper
- Salt
For the Mushrooms and Onions
- Butter
- Sliced cremini or white mushrooms
- Yellow onion
- Minced garlic
- Chicken broth
- Worcestershire sauce
- Fresh parsley
Choosing the Right Cajun Seasoning
Cajun seasoning blends can vary significantly in salt and heat. If your blend is already salty, reduce or omit the additional salt in the recipe.
{MY HOMEMADE CAJUN SEASONING BLEND}
For a milder Bourbon Street Chicken, use a mild Cajun blend and reduce the black pepper. If you prefer more heat, add a small pinch of cayenne pepper.
How to Make Applebee’s Inspired Bourbon Street Chicken
1. Prepare the Chicken
Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover them with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Pound the thicker portions until each breast is approximately ½-inch thick.
Evenly sized chicken cooks more quickly and is less likely to dry out.
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub it with olive oil, followed by the Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, and salt.
2. Sear the Chicken
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on the first side without moving it.
Flip the chicken and continue cooking for another 4 to 6 minutes, or until the center reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and loosely cover it with foil.
3. Cook the Mushrooms and Onions
Reduce the heat to medium and melt butter in the same skillet. Add the sliced mushrooms and onions.
Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned. Avoid stirring the mushrooms constantly so they have time to develop some color.
Add the minced garlic and cook for approximately 30 seconds.
4. Make the Garlic Butter Sauce
Pour the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce into the skillet. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the flavorful browned bits from the bottom.
Simmer the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce slightly. Stir in another tablespoon of butter for a glossy, restaurant-style finish.
5. Finish and Serve
Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Spoon the mushrooms, onions, and garlic butter sauce over the chicken.
Let everything heat together for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
How to Get the Best Blackened Crust
The dark, seasoned crust is one of the best parts of this Applebee’s-inspired chicken. Follow these tips for the best results:
- Pat the chicken completely dry before seasoning.
- Preheat the skillet before adding the chicken.
- Use a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Leave the chicken undisturbed while the first side sears.
- Cook in batches if your skillet is small.
The spices may darken considerably as the chicken cooks. This is normal, but adjust the heat if they begin to smell burned.
Make It Your Own
Add Shrimp
Turn this into an Applebee’s-inspired Bourbon Street Chicken and Shrimp by adding peeled, deveined shrimp. Season the shrimp lightly with Cajun seasoning and sauté them for 1 to 2 minutes per side after cooking the chicken.
Make It Spicier
Add cayenne pepper to the seasoning mixture or finish the dish with a few dashes of hot sauce.
Use Chicken Thighs
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work beautifully and remain especially juicy. Because cooking times vary, always check for an internal temperature of 165°F.
Add Bourbon
Bourbon is not necessary, but you can add two tablespoons after cooking the mushrooms and onions. Let it simmer for one minute before adding the chicken broth. Remove the skillet from open heat before pouring in alcohol.
What to Serve With Bourbon Street Chicken
For the complete restaurant-inspired meal, serve this chicken with:
Mashed potatoes are especially good because they soak up the Cajun garlic butter sauce.
PrintBest Applebee’s Inspired Bourbon Street Chicken
This Copycat Applebee’s Bourbon Street Chicken features juicy Cajun-seasoned chicken breasts topped with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and a savory garlic butter pan sauce. Serve it with creamy mashed potatoes for an easy restaurant-style dinner ready in about 30 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: STOVETOP
- Cuisine: copycat recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 6 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
For the Mushrooms and Garlic Butter Sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
For Serving, Optional
- Creamy mashed potatoes
- Steamed broccoli
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper. Pound the thicker portions until each breast is approximately ½-inch thick.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Rub the olive oil over both sides.
- In a small bowl, combine the Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper and salt. Season both sides of the chicken evenly.
- Heat a large stainless-steel or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken breasts in a single layer. Cook without moving them for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the bottoms develop a dark golden crust.
- Flip the chicken and cook for another 4 to 6 minutes. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the breasts. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate once the thickest portion reaches 165°F. Loosely cover with foil.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and onions. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.
- Simmer the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it reduces slightly. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter.
- Return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the skillet. Spoon the mushrooms, onions and garlic butter sauce over the chicken.
- Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, just until the chicken is heated through. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, if desired.
Notes
- Cajun seasoning blends vary in salt and heat. If your seasoning contains a lot of salt, reduce or omit the additional salt.
- Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness so they cook evenly without drying out.
- Avoid overcrowding the skillet. Cook the chicken in batches if your pan is not large enough to hold all four breasts.
- The chicken is fully cooked when the thickest portion reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- For more heat, add ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper to the seasoning mixture.
- To make Bourbon Street Chicken and Shrimp, sauté Cajun-seasoned shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes per side and add them to the skillet before serving.
- Verify that your Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning are certified gluten free if needed.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover Bourbon Street Chicken with the mushrooms, onions, and sauce in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to three days.
Reheat it in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of chicken broth. You can also microwave individual portions in 30-second intervals. Avoid overheating the chicken, which can make it dry.
Freezing is possible, although the mushrooms may become slightly softer after thawing. Freeze the cooled chicken and sauce in an airtight container for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Tips for the Best Bourbon Street Chicken
- Pound the chicken to an even thickness so it cooks uniformly.
- Allow the skillet to get hot before adding the chicken.
- Use unsalted butter if your Cajun seasoning contains a lot of salt.
- Don’t wash the skillet after searing the chicken—the browned bits create the sauce’s flavor.
- Use freshly minced garlic for the strongest garlic butter flavor.
- Let the chicken rest briefly before returning it to the sauce.
- Check doneness with a meat thermometer instead of cutting into the chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Applebee’s Bourbon Street Chicken contain bourbon?
The Bourbon Street name refers to Bourbon Street in New Orleans and the dish’s Cajun-inspired flavor. You don’t need bourbon to make this restaurant-style recipe.
Is Bourbon Street Chicken spicy?
It has a warm Cajun flavor, but you can easily control the heat. Choose a mild Cajun seasoning for a family-friendly version or add cayenne for more spice.
Can I make it without a cast-iron skillet?
Yes. Use a heavy stainless-steel skillet or another pan that can hold and distribute high heat evenly. A nonstick skillet will work, but the chicken may not develop the same dark crust.
Why is my chicken dry?
Dry chicken is usually caused by uneven thickness or overcooking. Pound the breasts evenly and remove them from the skillet once they reach 165°F.
Can I prepare the chicken ahead of time?
You can season the chicken up to 24 hours in advance. Keep it covered in the refrigerator, then let it sit at room temperature for approximately 15 minutes before cooking.
Final Thoughts
This Applebee’s Inspired Bourbon Street Chicken is the kind of restaurant copycat dinner that feels special without requiring complicated ingredients. The smoky Cajun chicken, buttery mushrooms, tender onions, and savory garlic sauce come together in one skillet in about 30 minutes.
Pair it with a generous scoop of mashed potatoes for an easy restaurant-style meal everyone will want you to make again.
