New Orleans-Style Chicken Stew
4 Servings
6 to 8 scallions, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into pieces
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed through a press
1 can (14 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 drops hot pepper sauce or more
1 bay leaf
1/4 lb. kielbasa or other precooked garlic sausage, diced
In a plastic bag, combine flour, thyme and cayenne, and shake to mix. Add
chicken and shake to coat lightly. Remove chicken and reserve excess flour
mixture.
In a large skillet, warm 1 Tbsp. of the butter in the oil over medium high heat
until the butter is melted. Add the chicken and cook until it is browned all
over, about 7 min. Remove chicken to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.
Add 1 remaining Tbsp. butter to the skillet and heat until melted. Add the
garlic and the reserved dredging mixture. Cook, stirring, until the flour is no
longer visible, about 1 min.
Add tomatoes and their juice, the chicken broth, scallions, celery, bell pepper,
hot pepper sauce and bay leaf, and bring to a boil over medium-heat. reduce heat
to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are
tender, about 15 min.
Return the stew to a boil over medium-high heat. Return the chicken (and any
juices that have accumulated on the plate) to the skillet along with the
sausage, and heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 min. Remove the
bay leaf before serving.