Air Fryer Cajun Chicken and Vegetables

This air fryer cajun chicken and vegetables recipe is as simple as throwing some diced chicken breast and veggies in a bowl with olive oil and seasoning, give it a toss, and air frying for about 20 minutes. It makes super high volume servings so if you have trouble staying full, this recipe will help.

For example, you could eat 3 servings (9 ounces!) of this cajun chicken and veggies mix-up and get 33 grams of protein with only 255 calories, 9 grams of carbs, and 3 WW SmartPoints! And the recipe makes 10 servings so you’ll have enough to feed the whole crew or hoard some as meal prep for the week.

Air Fryer Cajun Chicken and Veggies Recipe Walkthrough

This recipe really is as simple as I made it sound above. So, you won’t need much of a walkthrough, but I’ll cover ingredient modification notes below.

You’ll find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. I’ve included notes in the recipe for making this recipe in a skillet or baking in the oven as well.

Mix Diced Chicken Breast with Cajun Seasoning and Olive Oil

I tested several cajun seasonings and ratios for this recipe, and I ultimately landed on a blend of cajun seasoning and standalone herbs and spices. I used the same Louisiana cajun seasoning I used for my Instant Pot red beans and cauliflower rice, but you could use any cajun seasoning here.

The key difference to take note of will be the salt content. Louisiana cajun seasoning has 290mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon. If you’re using the base recipe with another cajun seasoning, you’ll want to come close to avoid an overly salty finished product.

As an example, the Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning I used in my Cajun Pasta Bake and Cajun Mac and Cheese has 340mg per 1/4 teaspoon, and the Louisiana seasoning in my Smoked Cajun Sausage Pasta has 290mg. When you’re using a tablespoon, that 50mg difference adds up to a 600mg difference. That’s probably enough for most to notice in the finished product. 

To avoid the salty dilemma altogether, you can use a salt-free cajun seasoning. I tested a batch with 2 tablespoons of Frontier Co-Op’s cajun seasoning (salt free) with added salt and black pepper. You’ll see those notes in the recipe card.

Air Fry the Cajun Chicken and Vegetables for 20-22 Minutes, Shaking Twice

I use a 6.5 quart Ninja Foodi for air frying. You may need to modify the cook time for different types of air fryers, especially different sizes. More surface area (larger baskets) will cook faster. And it’s worth mentioning, I’m not sure you’ll be able to fit all of the chicken and veggies in a smaller basket here.

Important: Be sure to shake multiple times during air frying to achieve even cooking. Like I mentioned in my sweet chili air fryer chicken and brussels sprouts and air fried jerk chicken, a food thermometer makes life SO much easier when it comes to cooking proteins. When you’re cooking a big batch of chicken and vegetables like this, a thermometer allows you to check pieces of chicken in different spots in the air fryer basket.

Here’s the thermometer I use: Kizen Instant Read Food Thermometer ($22 on Amazon)

Serving Notes

Like I mentioned earlier, I tested several variations on this recipe. So I guess you could say I’m an expert at consuming at this point. It’s hard to beat serving it over rice with a squeeze of fresh lemon, but you could certainly get more creative. A few ideas:

• Toss with pasta and an alfredo sauce, top with shredded mozzarella and parmesan, and pop it under the broiler for a few minutes. Inspired by my Italian Sausage Pasta and Veggie Bake.
• Keep it high volume with cauliflower rice or make that decision less meh with a mix of real rice and cauli rice like in my Tex-Mex Ground Beef and Rice Skillet.
• For leftover cajun chicken and vegetables, you could throw some on top of a cast iron pizza or low fat air fryer pizza.

And that’s a wrap. There’s a comment section at the bottom of this post in case you have any additional recipe questions. Otherwise, enjoy your air fryer cajun chicken! 

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Air Fryer Cajun Chicken and Vegetables

Yield: 10 Servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Chicken breast, zucchini, red bell pepper, and grape tomatoes tossed in olive oil and cajun seasoning.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, diced
• 2 Tbsp (32g) Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Cajun Seasoning*
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/8 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1/8 tsp Dried Thyme
• 1 pint Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 large Zucchini, diced

Instructions

1. Mix the diced chicken breast with the olive oil, cajun seasoning and additional dry spices/herbs. Stir to fully coat the chicken before adding the tomatoes, bell pepper, and zucchini. Stir well.
2. Transfer the chicken and vegetables to the air fryer basket and cook at 400ºF for 8 minutes. Stir and cook for an additional 8 minutes at 400ºF. Repeat once more, cooking for a total 20-22 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165ºF.
3. Serve over rice with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and enjoy!

Notes

*Most cajun seasonings can be quite salty. If you'd like to use cajun seasoning on its own without the additional spices/herbs, use 2 tablespoons of a salt free cajun seasoning + 1 tsp of salt and pepper. Then salt to taste after the cooking. I tested this method using Frontier Co-op Cajun Seasoning.

For Stovetop Cajun Chicken

Split the olive oil and spices in half, seasoning the chicken and vegetables separately. Cook the chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes (until chicken reaches 165ºF) and set aside to rest. Cook the bell pepper and zucchini in the same skillet for 6-8 minutes before adding the tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they start to wrinkle before adding the chicken back to the skillet and tossing everything together.

For Oven Baked Cajun Chicken

Mix everything together and do a sheet pan style bake at 400ºF for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165ºF. You can line the sheet pan with aluminum foil for easier cleanup.

Nutrition Information Notes

• Each 3-ounce serving has 1 WW SmartPoint (blue).
• Since veggies come in all shapes and sizes, I recommend weighing your finished product if you need ultra accurate serving sizes. (My finished products averaged ~ 30 ounces total.)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Servings Serving Size: 3 ounces
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 85Total Fat: 3gCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 11g

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