• Source: Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders
• Dish Type: Entree
• Cuisine: Cajun/Creole

Chicken Sauce Piquante

Here’s a traditional New Orleans dish for the slow cooker in all its peppery glory. Hence, piquante. You’ll enjoy its pungency, tempered with tomatoes and herbs and spooned over white rice.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces
• 1 tablespoon Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning
• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper,
• chopped
• 3⁄4 cup chopped celery
• 1⁄2 jalapeño chile, minced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and juice reserved
• 1⁄4 cup tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Steamed white rice, for serving
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Add the chicken pieces to a large mixing bowl and season all over with the Essence. Add the flour and mix well until the chicken is evenly coated. Shake the chicken to remove any excess flour, then set it aside on a plate.

2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch or larger skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces to the pan, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the browned chicken pieces to the crock of a 6-quart slow cooker.

3. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and jalapeño to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to incorporate
the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper, thyme, cayenne, and bay leaves and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up into pieces with the spoon, the tomato paste, Worcestershire, sugar, and salt. Add 1⁄2 cup of the reserved tomato juice and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute, then transfer the hot sauce to the slow cooker. Cover and cook the chicken on low until very tender, about 3 hours. Remove the bay leaves if desired.

4. Serve over steamed rice and garnish with the parsley.

Yield: 4 servings