I’m going to tell you, this New Orleans-style BBQ Chicken in a Buttery Sauce recipe is chicken prepared in a rich butter sauce and flavored with Worcestershire sauce, lots of black pepper, and lemon – is lip-smackin’ good! Just make sure you have enough warm French bread to soak up the amazing buttery sauce.
The story of my New Orleans-style BBQ Chicken recipe is similar to that of the original shrimp version from Pascal’s Manale. Kind of. Sort of.
{photo credit: pascalsmanale.com)
Who invented the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp recipe?
Sometime in the 1950s, a regular customer of Pascal’s Manale, Vincent Sutro, had recently returned from a business trip to Chicago. He was ordering his dinner. He wanted a meal that he had in Chicago and was trying to explain it to Pascal’s Manale’s chef, Jake Radosta. Sutro knew that the meal had shrimp, butter, and lots of pepper and he wanted to see if Radosta could try and recreate it.
Radosta tried his best to make what Sutra described. He presented his creation to the loyal customer. Sutro tasted it and said that Radosta’s version was not what he had in Chicago. This version was even better. The restaurant decided to put the shrimp dinner on the menu and the rest is history.
For the original BBQ Shrimp you need to visit Pascal’s Manale in New Orleans. They are located at 1838 Napoleon Avenue. You can also find other restaurants serving up this classic dish around town. Another popular spot to find this classic dish is at Mr. B’s on Royal Street.
Why did I come up with this version of the New Orleans-style BBQ Chicken in a Buttery Sauce?
Sometime in 2018 – May to be exact – I was reading through a cookbook and stopped on a BBQ Shrimp recipe. It brought back memories of the time when I made a version of it a few years back and I started to crave that buttery, peppery, lemon flavors. Much like Sutro from his trip to Chicago, I wanted to recreate that flavor in the kitchen. However, it’s hard for me to make a batch of BBQ Shrimp because my wife is allergic to shellfish.
Like Radosta, I went into the kitchen and tried to make what I described to myself but swapped out the shrimp for chicken. We eat a lot of Chinese food. My oldest son could eat Sweet & Sour Chicken every day, as could my wife. I love it too, but I usually go for either Chicken lo mein or Lemon Chicken. What I created in the kitchen was similar to a Lemon Chicken but with a rich, sweet, buttery sauce that was absolutely a-mazing.
I could not stop eating this dinner. There were no leftovers when we were finished. It was funny. My wife and I just sat back and stared at our empty plates. There was nothing left but the faded streaks of the butter sauce that the French bread had smeared. When I make this New Orleans-Style BBQ Chicken again, I’m doubling up the recipe – it was that good. What I like about it the most, is that my wife can get the flavor of the New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp without having to worry about her food allergy affecting her. That’s a win, for sure.
How do you make the New Orleans-Style BBQ Chicken in a Buttery Sauce?
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Doesn’t it look amazing? Be sure to pour the pan juices into the bowl (and serve on the plate). You will want to soak those juices up with hot French bread.
What to serve with the New Orleans-Style BBQ Chicken in a Buttery Sauce?
A hot French bread is a must to soak up the juices.
More Chicken Recipes:
- Crispy Chicken Wings in the Oven
- New Orleans Style Stewed Chicken
- Chicken Drumsticks Da Pope (lots of garlic!)
Eric’s New Orleans Style BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 lbs boneless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
- ½ cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp flour
- 3 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tsp Creole seasoning
- 1 garlic powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter cubed
- green onions chopped for garnishment
- French bread as accompaniment
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add cubed pieces of chicken, flour, black pepper, Creole seasoning, and garlic powder. Combine making sure that the chicken pieces are well coated. In another small bowl, combine the Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice together, and set aside.
- In a large skillet, over medium-heat, melt the butter. Add the seasoned chicken and pan-fry until chicken is browned. Carefully pour in the Worcestershire and lemon juice mixture into the skillet. Bring the sauce to a boil then lower heat to Medium-Low and continue to cook until chicken is completely cooked through.
- Remove the skillet from heat, place chicken on a plate and top with the sauce. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve with fresh, hot French bread. Enjoy!
Eric Olsson is the food blogger of RedBeansAndEric.com. He publishes new recipes and interviews weekly. He has developed recipes and written articles for the famous Camellia brand in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has been mentioned in Louisiana Cookin‘ magazine and has had recipes featured in Taste of Home magazine – with his Creole Turkey recipe being runner up in their annual Thanksgiving recipe contest. He lives outside of Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and four children.
andavid06
Oh. My. Goodness. My mouth started watering looking at these photos, and I’m not even hungry! I’ve got chicken in the fridge, I’m totally trying this recipe out. Thanks for sharing!
Red Beans & Eric
Thank you! I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as my family has!
abbycenterstate
I do too have some chicken in my fridge and will have to try this out sometime this weekend! It looks amazing, thank you for sharing. I’m excited to give it a try!!
Tommy Centola
The only thing I would do different would be to use thighs instead of breast. Let’s face it, a little more fat in this dish won’t make a difference. They will be juicier and better tasting.
Red Beans & Eric
Great tip, Tommy! Thank you! I’ll try it that way next time I make these.
1dish4theroad
A great read, and the food looks incredible too. Would love to visit New Orleans sometime..
rbookman2017792262926
This absolutely looks delicious. Reading on an empty stomach. Definitely will try.
Red Beans & Eric
Thank you!