Easy Chicken Étouffée
By: HyeThymeCafe
Published: Saturday, February 18, 2012 - 7:08pm

Ingredients




4 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 lg onion, diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c flour
1 T Worcestershire
1 bottle dark beer
2 c chicken broth
1 t Better than Bouillon stock base
1 t white pepper
1 T dried thyme
1 T Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
2 T tomato paste
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Cooked chicken, chopped or torn
Cooked white rice

Preparation

1 Saute the peppers, onion, garlic, and celery in the butter and olive oil until they start to soften, then whisk in the flour and let that cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, to form a roux.  If it's too dry, add another pat of butter or a splash of olive oil. 2 When the roux is as light or dark as you like it, whisk in the Worcestershire and deglaze the pan with a little of the beer. 3 Once you've gotten all the little bits off the bottom of the pan, pour in the rest of the beer. 4 When it starts to thicken, add the broth, stock base, pepper, thyme, creole seasoning, tomato paste, and most of your parsley. 5 Let the sauce simmer for a good half hour or more to reduce and give the flavors a chance to meld. 6 While the sauce is simmering, cook enough white rice for however many people you are serving.  I like to cook it in chicken broth with a little butter. 7 Just before your rice is finished, go ahead and stir your chicken into the sauce to heat through. 8 To plate, pack the rice into a small bowl and invert it onto the plate, then pour the chicken around it and top it with the remaining parsley.

About

An Etouffee is a "smothered" dish, usually associated with seafood, but also sausage or chicken.  Whatever you decide to use, it's smothered in a spicy gravy.  I like to describe it as a Cajun or Creole Chow Mein.  There are a few schools of thought as to whether it should include beer and/or a roux to thicken it.  My version includes both ... and I cheated and started with pre-cooked rotisserie chickens.  Because they were so small, and nobody in my family likes dark meat, I got two.  It just depends on how many people you're feeding.  The same goes for the rice to serve it with.  I was feeding 3 tonight, but we have leftovers for another 2 or 3 portions.