Chicken Lazone (Cajun-spiced chicken breasts in cream sauce)

Mix the spice blend: smoked or regular paprika, chili powder, a little cayenne, black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.

Salt the chicken breasts generously on both sides, then coat both sides with about half the spice blend; save the other half for the sauce.

Optionally wrap and refrigerate an hour or two, up to overnight.

Pan fry in a little vegetable oil over medium-high heat about four minutes per side, until almost but not quite cooked through.

Turn off the heat and move the chicken to a plate.

Add the remaining spices to the hot pan and stir about 30 seconds.

Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.

Turn the heat to medium-high, add the cream and about a third of a cup of water rinsed from the cream cup; stir, scraping the bottom, and add a pinch of salt.

Once simmering, reduce to medium-low and return the chicken with its juices; simmer gently a few minutes per side until cooked through, adding a splash of water, broth or cream if the sauce gets too thick.

Reduce the heat to low and add sliced green onions to the sauce.

Stir in chunks of butter, shaking the pan and basting the chicken.

Turn off the heat, taste for seasoning and scatter more green onions over the top; stir the sauce before spooning it over, since the oil rises and darkens the color.

Serve over scallion butter fettuccine, topped with more scallions; rice or potato also suggested.