Chicken Creole

Chicken Creole

A tomato-rich stew of braised chicken served over long-grain rice, Chicken Creole is a home-style classic from the Louisiana Creole table — lightly spiced, saucy, and built on the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper.

Prep

15 min

Cook

55 min

Total

70 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •700 g (1½ lb) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, split breasts work too; bone-in gives better flavor
• •5 ml (1 tsp) kosher salt, plus more to season the chicken
• •2 ml (½ tsp) black pepper
• •30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, or neutral oil
• •1 large yellow onion, diced
• •1 medium green bell pepper, diced; Creole tradition favors bell over hotter peppers
• •2 stalks celery, diced — the 'holy trinity' base
• •4 cloves garlic, minced
• •400 g (14 oz) canned crushed or diced tomatoes, with their juices
• •250 ml (1 cup) chicken stock, low-sodium
• •5 g (1 tsp) dried thyme
• •2 g (1 tsp) dried oregano
• •1 g (1 tsp) sweet paprika
• •1 g (½ tsp) cayenne pepper, adjust to taste; optional
• •1 whole bay leaf
• •10 g (2 tsp) Worcestershire sauce
• •5 g (1 tbsp) fresh parsley, chopped, for finishing
• •5 g (1 tbsp) scallion, thinly sliced, for finishing
• •320 g (1¾ cups) long-grain white rice, such as Carolina or jasmine; rinsed

Steps

1. 1 Pat the chicken dry and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. 2 Melt the butter in a heavy lidded pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the chicken skin-side down and brown 4–5 minutes per side until deep golden. Transfer to a plate.
3. 3 Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery to the pot and cook, stirring, for 6–8 minutes until softened and lightly caramelized.
4. 4 Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the thyme, oregano, paprika, cayenne, and bay leaf and toast for 20 seconds.
5. 5 Pour in the tomatoes, chicken stock, and Worcestershire. Scrape the bottom of the pot to lift any browned bits. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot, skin-side up so it stays above the sauce.
6. 6 Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Cook gently for 30 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 75 °C / 165 °F on an instant-read thermometer.
7. 7 Meanwhile, cook the rice: combine the rinsed rice with 480 ml / 2 cups water and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to the lowest heat, and cook 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let steam, covered, for 10 minutes; fluff with a fork.
8. 8 Remove the bay leaf. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and cayenne. If you like a thicker sauce, simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes.
9. 9 Serve the chicken and sauce over the rice, sprinkled with parsley and scallion.