Recipe: Chicken Creole (using chicken pieces and smoked sausage)

CHICKEN CREOLE

1 (3 1/4 pound) chicken,
1/2 pound smoked sausage
1 onion
3 to 4 tomatoes
2 to 3 cloves garlic
3 or 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 cups chicken broth or Homemade Chicken Stock
1/2 pound fresh or frozen whole okra pods
Hot cooked rice (for serving)

Cut the chicken into serving pieces: the breast into halves, the legs and thighs separated, plus the wings, for a total of 8 pieces. Rinse the chicken well under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Trim away any visible fat from the chicken and discard.

Cut the sausage into bite-size pieces. Slice the onion; coarsely chop the tomatoes; and mince the garlic. Chop the fresh thyme or crush the dried herb.

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, and brown over medium-high heat. Remove from the pot and brown the remaining chicken the same way, removing when brown.

When all the chicken is browned, add the sausage and saute 4 or 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly.

Stir in the onion, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, and cayenne. Saute 2 or 3 minutes, stirring.

Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Add the chicken broth or stock and bring to a boll. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is almost done.

Cut off and discard the woody end tips of the fresh okra. Stir the pods into the pot and cook 20 minutes longer or until the okra is tender and the chicken is done.

Serve with rice.

ABOUT THE RECIPE:
"Patricia Butler is an associate minister at the First Missionary Baptist Church in Handsboro, Mississippi, on the Gulf Coast. She is also a licensed chaplain and she is just as likely to conduct a Bible study at the local jail as she is at a drug addict's home.

Pat is also a fine cook, and whenever the church holds a barbecue or picnic, she arrives with a covered dish. The food of the Gulf Coast is a melange of many ethnic influences: Cajun, Creole, African, and European, and it is savory and delicious.

Reverend Butler sends this recipe for a chicken dish made with okra--an indigenous vegetable of Africa."

Makes 4 servings
Source: Soul Food: Recipes and Reflections from African-American Churches by Joyce White