Chicken á la Creole

Click the image to the left to see the recipe enlarged.

This Cajun chicken recipe is not fast. However, it's very inexpensive, simple, and worth the time and chopping. Although you can cheat and use canned maters if you like!

I love how some of the simplest recipes tend to be the best recipes! At least to some... it's my husband's favorite but not mine. Be warned, after you've finally gotten everything chopped and put together, the whole mess has to simmer for an hour before it's ready. I have included a few tips on the recipe.

This dish reminds me a lot of Bryzanne's Chilaquiles. Funny how nearly the same ingredients can taste so incredibly differently when you switch up the seasonings just a bit. This recipe comes from our very battered copy of Justin Wilson's Homegrown Louisiana Cookin'.

Tip #1--Don't fret if you can't get fresh parsley, just use three heaping tablespoons of dried parsley and add it when you add the mint and garlic.

Tip #2 -- If you have no mint on your spice rack, you can tear open a bag of mint tea and use that. Not spearmint tea or peppermint, but straight mint. If you don't have that, you could use basil instead or just use nothing at all in place of it. This dish will still have plenty of flavor.

Tip #3 -- regarding the stock, I use frozen Stock that I defrost by the cupful as needed. But you can just strain the broth you cooked the chicken in. If you know you are going to be using the broth from the chicken pot, be sure and boil your chicken with plenty of goodies so you have a flavorful stock to work with. I wouldn't use celery because it wouldn't compliment this dish, but any combination of leeks, onions, garlic, pepper, parsley, salt, and wine would be excellent. Also, if you substitute half the water for cooking your rice with stock, it will add wonderful flavor. Using nothing but stock to cook your rice in usually results in sticky rice that is flavorful but has unpleasant texture.