Special equipment
Long handled wire whisk
Chicken
1 chicken, cut up
Seasonings for chicken pieces: kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, & dried thyme
2 T vegetable oil
Seasoned flour
½ c flour
1 t salt
½ cayenne red pepper (more or less depending on personal preference)
½ t black pepper
½ t white pepper
1 t garlic powder
1 t dried thyme
Etouffée sauce
Seasoned flour (above)
½ c vegetable oil (I use Canola)
½ c chopped onion
½ c chopped celery
¼ c chopped bell pepper
4-5 c (approximately) chicken stock
¼ c chopped scallions (green onions)
1 T (real) butter
Salt & pepper, to taste
Directions
General overview of the process: First you are going to season & brown chicken pieces. These will be roasted
in a single layer in the oven until done. Near the end of the roasting time, you will make the sauce. To serve,
just pour sauce over chicken.
Lay out chicken pieces on a tray or waxed paper. Sprinkle all pieces with each chicken seasoning in turn, first
on one side then the other (salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, & dried thyme). Place in a plastic freezer
bag and into the refrigerator to rest at least one hour and as long as overnight.
Heat 2 T oil in a heavy dutch oven (preferably cast iron). Over medium to medium-high heat, brown seasoned chicken
pieces, being careful not to crowd them. Continue in batches until all chicken pieces are browned. [Do ahead note:
At this point, you can place chicken in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan and refrigerate until ready to
bake. The sauce can also be made ahead and then reheated before pouring over baked chicken pieces — see instructions
below.]
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken pieces in a single layer in a shallow oven-proof pan. Roast for 30
minutes, or until chicken pieces are done.
Just before chicken pieces are done, or even after having removed from the oven, make the sauce. Heat oil over
medium heat. When hot, add seasoned flour, and stir constantly with whisk over medium or medium low heat until
the roux (oil-flour mixture) is the color of peanut butter. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until
translucent. Increase heat to high and gradually add chicken stock until mixture is at a boil and the desired consistency
is reached - something like turkey or chicken gravy. Stir in scallions and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes. Adjust seasonings
and add a bit more chicken stock if you believe the mixture is a bit too thick. Stir in butter until just melted.
To serve, simply pour the sauce over the roasted chicken. Or serve up individual pieces by placing a piece of chicken
on the plate and drizzle with an ample amount of the sauce.
To reheat any leftovers, just warm chicken in the sauce as if a stew on top of the stove. Or bake as you would
a casserole, until warmed through, in a 350 degree F oven.