Creole Chicken and Rice
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 547kcal
Creole Chicken and Rice dish is one of our favorites. You and your family will love the layers and layers of flavor. And it's wonderful with perfect steamed rice. You're gonna love this one!
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Equipment
- 1 Large pot 5 QT is ideal
Ingredients
FOR THE SPICE RUB
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper use 1 teaspoon for less heat
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
FOR THE STEW
- 3 lbs chicken thighs and breasts, skinless and boneless, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 1 poblano chile seeded and diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes crushed, or whole, crushed with your hands, juice included
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tbsp thyme leaves dried
- 4 bay leaves fresh, or 2 dried
- 1 tsp hot sauce ie, Tobasco, Crystals, or our favorite: Louisiana
FOR THE STEAMED RICE
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1½ cups water
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- Pinch Kosher salt
- Scallions diced
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
- In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the rub,
- Heat the oil in a large pot, or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke a little.
- Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl, and add the rub mixture. Use your hands to evenly coat. Add the flour to the chicken, and again, use your hands to mix everything together. You will have excess flour in the bowl (this is okay).
- Working in two to three batches, shake off excess flour and transfer the chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes total. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chicken to a platter. Repeat with remaining chicken. Set aside.
- From the bowl that held the chick, scoop ¼ cup of extra flour and carefully add to the oil, and cook, stirring constantly, to create a medium-brown, peanut butter-colored roux, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, celery, poblano, and garlic, and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken, tomatoes (fresh and canned with juice), stock, thyme, bay leaves, hot sauce, and 1½ tsp salt.
- Simmer over low heat for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened to a light gravy and the chicken is very tender.
- Serve over Perfectly Steamed Rice with chopped scallions as garnish (recipe below)
MAKE THE STEAMED RICE
- Combine the rice, water, bay leaves, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to very low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and keep covered for an additional 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid, cool for a few minutes, and then fluff the rice with a fork.
Notes
See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel!
This recipe easily feeds 6 to 8 people. It makes quite a bit. Go with a large pot (5-QT, or larger). A 12-inch cast-iron skillet won't hold this complete recipe. It can also be served in a slow-cooker set on LOW or WARM.
For the chicken, we use 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs and 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces.
The dish has a little kick to it, but we would still consider it mildly spicy. For very, very little heat, reduce the cayenne to 1 tsp and omit the hot sauce. For more spice, increase the cayenne to 3 tsp and add as much hot sauce as you like!
Leftovers are wonderful and will keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 or 6 days. The dish freezes beautifully for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 547kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 1134mg | Potassium: 700mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1370IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 4mg