Chicken Sauce Piquante Dish

Emeril's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Ingredients

For the Gumbo:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 (3 pound) roasting chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Essence (recipe follows)
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups diced yellow onions
• 3/4 cup diced green bell peppers
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 cups seeded and diced plum tomatoes
• 3 cups chicken broth or low-sodium canned chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Emeril's Red Pepper Sauce or other hot pepper sauce
• Hot white rice, for serving
• 1/2 cup diced green onions (green and white parts)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (Bayou Blast):

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Instructions

Prepare the Essence:

1. Blend all Essence ingredients thoroughly.

Make the Gumbo:

1. Warm 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large heavy nonstick pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt. In a bowl, mix the Essence with 1/2 cup of the flour and blend to combine. Coat the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour mixture and tap to remove any excess flour. Sear the pieces, in batches if necessary, until golden on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Move to a plate and reserve.
2. Mix in the onions, bell peppers, celery, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne, and bay leaves. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are tender and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Incorporate the remaining 3 tablespoons of flour and cook, stirring, without browning, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken broth, Worcestershire, and pepper sauce.
3. Put the chicken back in the pot, raise the heat under the sauce to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered, stirring from time to time, until the chicken is fall-from-the-bone tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
4. To serve, place the rice onto plates, top with the chicken and sauce, and finish with the green onions and parsley.

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking" by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William Morrow, 1993.