By Carla Vigos
Laguna Woods Globe
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with Southern cooking.
In Louisiana, there’s Creole food and then there’s Cajun food. Cajun is the spicier and hotter of the two.
I do like heat, but not to the level that the heat is all you taste. I’m looking for flavorful in my recipes.
I made two versions of chicken Creole for six friends, and this recipe was the unanimous winner. I made up a batch of the Creole seasoning and kept the leftover rub for future use.
Of course, you can buy Creole seasoning, but if the ingredients include cayenne, it will be hotter than my recipe as it has no cayenne.
For questions or comments, email cjvigos@yahoo.com.
Chicken Creole
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds boneless chicken thighs
4 teaspoons Creole seasoning (see below for recipe)
4 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6-ounce can of tomato paste
14.5 ounces petite diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Half teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Cooked long grain white rice
Optional hot sauce
DIRECTIONS
Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into half inch to three-quarter inch pieces. Put chicken in a bowl, add Creole seasoning and work it in with a large spoon or your hands.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.
Add a little more oil to the skillet, if needed, and cook the onion, pepper and celery until softened, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute more. Add the tomato paste, stir it into the veggies, and cook and stir for one minute. Add the next six ingredients and simmer for five minutes.
Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer for five minutes.
Serve with rice. Top with hot sauce, if desired.
Homemade Creole seasoning
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon thyme
Combine ingredients until blended. Store in an airtight container. Use to boost the flavor of meats, rice, soups and more.