The perfect dupe for the Earls Cajun Chicken Sandwich is here!
Kick it up a notch with your own homemade ciabatta buns. Get ready for your new favourite restaurant quality meal made right at home!
We love dreaming up recipes using our favourite restaurant dishes as inspiration and finding simplified versions to re-create, and this Earls sandwich is truly iconic! We first posted this recipe over on our meal plan, Fraîche Table, and it has quickly become one of the most loved dishes. If you are a Fraîche Table member, enjoy this recipe as a part of your customizable meal plan here!
Our Cajun Chicken Sandwich Recipe
For those who don’t know the story behind this sandwich it features a juicy Cajun spiced chicken breast, mayo, lettuce, tomato served on a delicious ciabatta bun. It has been a long-standing item on the Earls Restaurant menu (a very popular restaurant chain in North America). Yes, you can buy store-bought buns but you will LOVE this home-made Ciabatta Bun recipe too should you have the time! Who could forget the fries! Lucky for you, we have also perfected Crispy Oven Fries, to serve as the ultimate companion to this sandwich.
Key to the Perfect Chicken Sandwich
Butterfly your Chicken! The more surface area the seasoning can reach, the better the chicken will taste and the more evenly (and quicker) the chicken will cook. Butterfly your chicken breasts before adding seasoning or marinating.
How to Butterfly Chicken
To butterfly, place your hand firmly on top of the chicken breast and using a sharp chef’s knife, slice the chicken breast lengthwise using a sawing motion, stopping just short of the end to keep them intact. Alternately, pound out the chicken breasts (using a mallet or rolling pin) between two pieces of parchment paper to flatten for even cooking.
Crispy Homemade Oven Fries
My Oven Fries are a MUST with this recipe. The two biggest things to a successful oven fry are: (1) make sure your fries are dry and (2) don’t crowd the pan with fries (they will steam). We tested a whole bunch of fries to find the ideal version, and the best result came from par-boiling our cut potatoes so that the insides were perfectly soft and the outsides were crunchy!
Fraîche Table Meal Plan
We created Fraîche Table as a solution to a very common challenge: getting balanced meals on the table without the stress or crazy takeout costs. From grocery shopping, finding new recipe ideas, to balancing different dietary needs, cooking and meal prep can be a pain point in many peoples lives. Cue, Fraiche Table!
With over 1500 delicious recipes and ready-for-you meal planned weeks (plus the ability to create your OWN custom weeks), consider it your long-term sustainable solution to taking stress out of meal times. The recipes and meal plans are also all Dietitian-approved and super wholesome. It gives you the flexibility to adjust preferences when you need to, and the comfort of having streamlined grocery lists created to save you time, money and headaches.
We’ve shared a few of our favourite Fraîche Table recipes so far on the blog, including our top recipe EVER the Chicken Shawarma Bowls and also the Teriyaki Chicken Burgers. If you haven’t tried them yet, you must.
P.S. We are ON SALE! Use code MOTHERSDAY for a $99 annual membership (regularly $120)!
If you make this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #fraicheliving and #fraichetable or leave a comment/rating below. I would love to know how you liked it!
xo Tori
Cajun Chicken Sandwich
Cajun Chicken Sandwich
The perfect dupe for the Earls Cajun Chicken Sandwich is here! Kick it up a notch with your own homemade ciabatta buns. Get ready for your new favourite restaurant quality meal made right at home!
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup Cajun spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 ciabatta buns
- mayonnaise as desired
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 1 avocado, sliced optional
Instructions
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Butterfly each chicken breast by making a horizontal cut lengthways along the side of the chicken breast; don’t cut all the way through. Season each chicken breast on both sides with the Cajun spice and salt and set aside.
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Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat with the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until browned and the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165 F.
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Cut the ciabatta buns in half and toast if desired. Spread a layer of mayonnaise on one side of each bun and assemble the sandwiches with red onion, a slice of cheddar cheese, sliced tomatoes, a lettuce leaf and avocado if desired. Enjoy!
