the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 22 February: Chicken Etouffee

I’m not Cajun, though at times I wish I was. Cajun and Creole cooking, anchored in Louisiana, has long held a fascination for me ever since I was a kid, eating fresh seafood with my grandparents at their beach house on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Grandmother Mama (pronounced maw maw) wasn’t Cajun either, but she loved gumbo, etouffee, and fricassees, and still made the best I’ve ever tasted.

Though it’s clearly wide open for debate, and the pedantic foodies among us may certainly argue their position below, MaMa made her etouffee’s with a lighter, blonde roux, before smothering the shrimp, fish, or chicken to cook over time. Given her results loving produced over an ancient gas stove at “the Camp”, we’ve always been on the “etouffee has a roux base” side.

One other thought about cajun cooking and roux – we’re now in our fourth year of eating Primal/Paleo around our house, and for that entire time, I’ve struggled making a great roux with gluten free flour replacements. I know it can be done, and I’ve tried five or six options over the years, but especially when making a darker roux, the flavor just doesn’t come together for us unless using the otherwise verboten standard AP flour (which I frankly never use otherwise). (This is, at this particular point in time, our only deviation using one of the standard grain-based products we normally eschew. Life goes on, and so do our health gains; you make the call for your recipe. )

Finally, this is a simple recipe in practice, and can be spiced up a bit with extra seasoning or hot sauce, and when it’s really chilly out, my wife prefers it with a grass-fed beef or chicken andouille sausage throw in too. And it might even be better the next day…

2 tablespoons avocado oil or EVOO
2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 tbsp your favorite cajun seasoning OR
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour or gluten free flour replacement
1 large onion, medium dice
1 large green bell pepper, medium dice
1 large red bell pepper, medium dice
4 stalks celery, sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles
2-3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Louisiana hot sauce, your favorite to taste

Optional
Andouille sausage
1 bottle beer of choice
1-2 tbsp additional Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon molasses or maple syrup
Fresh parsley, minced or chiffonade when served
Thinly sliced green onions when served

Heat your oil of choice in your trusty Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the seasoned thighs for 3-4 minutes per side, remove to a plate when done.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, melt the butter, then stir in the flour/flour replacement and cook, stirring frequently, until a blonde roux forms. Be sure to scrape up the browned crusted bits and seasonings from the bottom of the DO.

Now stir in the onion, bell peppers, and celery, and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Stir in the garlic and sausage (if using), cook for another two minutes.

Now stir in the beer, then the tomatoes, chicken stock, Worcestershire, bay leaves, hot sauce, and if using them, the additional Cajun seasoning and molasses or maple syrup. Now nestle the chicken thighs in, bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then simmer for an hour or so. Keep an eye on the liquid level and add a bit more stock if needed.

Finally, pull the chicken thighs, shred the meat, and return the meat to the pot. Adjust the seasonings to taste, and serve hot with the parsley and sliced green onions.

Enjoy.