Cajun Chicken Sauce Piquante over Rice

A spicy Cajun stew of browned chicken in a peanut-butter-colored roux, the holy trinity and tomatoes, simmered thick and served over rice: the gravy to gumbo's soup.

Ingredients

• 2½ lb boneless chicken thighs, in large chunks
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 jalapeños, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

From your pantry: ½ cup oil, ¾ cup flour, 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning, ½ tsp cayenne, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp Worcestershire, hot sauce, salt.

Instructions

1. Toss the chicken with 1½ tbsp of the Cajun seasoning. Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high and brown the chicken in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set aside.
2. Lower the heat to medium, whisk the flour into the hot oil and stir constantly until the roux is the color of peanut butter, 8 to 12 minutes. Don't walk away; if you see black specks, start over.
3. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and jalapeños and stir for 3 minutes as they sizzle and soften. Add the garlic, remaining Cajun seasoning, cayenne, bay leaves, thyme and Worcestershire.
4. Stir in the broth a third at a time, then the tomatoes. Return the chicken, bring to a boil, then cover partly and simmer on low, stirring now and then, until the chicken is very tender and the sauce is thick, 35 to 40 minutes. Cook the rice meanwhile.
5. Remove the bay leaves, season with salt and hot sauce, and serve over rice topped with green onions and parsley.

Tip: In Louisiana, sauce piquante is just as often made with shrimp, alligator or turtle. For shrimp, make the sauce as written and add 2 lb shrimp for the last 5 minutes.

Nutrition per serving

Good for

Adapted from Kenneth Temple.

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