Applebee’s Bourbon Street Chicken And Shrimp (Copycat Recipe)

Bourbon street chicken and shrimp is the dish I order at Applebee’s more than anything else on the menu: cajun-blackened chicken topped with charred shrimp, with a garlic butter sauce poured over the whole plate.

My copycat version comes out of one cast iron skillet in about 45 minutes. It has the same smoky char, the same sweet-spicy balance, and I don’t have to wait for a table.

Despite the name, there’s no bourbon in it. The dish is named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and all the flavor comes from cajun seasoning and a garlic butter pan sauce.

Here’s exactly how I make it, the seasoning blend I use, and the tricks that keep the shrimp charred instead of steamed.

How To Make Applebee’s Bourbon Street Chicken And Shrimp

Step 1

Season the chicken breasts and shrimp with cajun seasoning and drizzle them with olive oil.

Heat a cast iron skillet (or the grill, if it’s summer) to medium-high. Sear the chicken 6 to 8 minutes per side, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

Step 2

Take the chicken out of the pan, add another tablespoon of oil, and cook the shrimp until they pick up a nice char, about 3 minutes per side.

Pull them off the heat the moment they’re done. Shrimp go from charred to rubbery fast.

Step 3

Remove the shrimp and saute the onions and mushrooms in the same skillet. Add a little more butter if the pan looks dry.

To save time, you can run the vegetables in a second pan while the chicken and shrimp cook.

Step 4

Keep the cooked chicken, shrimp, and vegetables in a barely warm oven while you make the sauce.

Melt 1/3 cup of butter with the chopped garlic in the same skillet and let it bubble for about 3 minutes on medium heat. Once the garlic picks up a little color, add 1/2 cup of broth and the lemon juice, then let it cook down until it coats the back of a spoon.

Plate the chicken, shrimp, and vegetables, pour the garlic butter sauce over everything, and serve it with mashed potatoes.

The full ingredient list, quantities, and a printable version are in the recipe card below.

Is There Bourbon In Bourbon Street Chicken?

No. Bourbon street chicken is named after the street in New Orleans’ French Quarter, not the whiskey, and this recipe has no alcohol in it.

The confusion comes from bourbon chicken, the food-court dish with the sticky sweet glaze. That one is a different recipe entirely, and it usually does have bourbon in the sauce. Applebee’s version is a cajun dish through and through: blackened seasoning, garlic butter, and char from a hot pan.

What Is In Cajun Seasoning?

My homemade blend is 1 tablespoon each of these nine spices:

• Smoked paprika
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Ground black pepper
• Ground white pepper
• Dried oregano
• Cayenne pepper
• Thyme
• Kosher salt

That makes more than one batch needs, which is the point. It keeps for months in a sealed jar, and you’ll want it again for shrimp, wings, and roasted potatoes.

If you’d rather buy a jar than mix your own, I’ve rounded up the best cajun seasoning brands so you can grab one that isn’t mostly salt.

Tips For The Best Blackened Chicken And Shrimp

Dry the shrimp with a paper towel before you season them. Any surface moisture makes them steam instead of sear, and steamed shrimp never get that char.

Get the skillet properly hot before anything touches it. Cast iron is the right pan here because it holds its heat when the cold chicken hits; I use a Lodge cast iron skillet and it takes this recipe from stove to oven without a second thought. No cast iron? A heavy stainless pan works too. Nonstick won’t give you the same crust.

Blackening is its own technique: the seasoning chars in hot fat and forms a dark crust that looks burnt but isn’t. If you’re weighing the two styles, I’ve broken down blackened vs grilled in detail.

To get ahead, you can season the chicken the night before. Shrimp are more delicate, and I’ve covered whether you can marinate shrimp overnight before you commit to it.

One swap worth knowing: salmon takes cajun seasoning beautifully if shrimp isn’t your thing. I’ve compared chicken vs salmon if you’re curious how the two proteins stack up.

What To Serve With Bourbon Street Chicken And Shrimp

Mashed potatoes, always. That’s how Applebee’s plates it, and the potatoes catch the garlic butter sauce that runs off the chicken.

Mine are quick: boil 6 red potatoes with the skins on until soft, then mash them with a pat of butter, 2 tablespoons of cream or mascarpone, and salt and pepper. I stop mashing while there’s still some texture, but take them as smooth as you like.

The sauteed onions and mushrooms round out the plate. If you want something green, steamed broccoli or green beans hold up fine next to the cajun spice.

Storing And Reheating Leftovers

Leftovers keep about 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. Reheat the chicken and vegetables gently in a covered pan with a splash of broth.

Eat the shrimp cold or warm them for under a minute. The microwave turns them rubbery, and there’s no coming back from that.

If copycat recipes are your thing, my Olive Garden creamy mushroom sauce uses the same one-skillet garlic butter logic as this dish.

Up Next: Red Robin Mac And Cheese (Copycat Recipe)