Sauce Piquante

Pronounced Sauce Pe-kawnt....this is one of those recipes that has been passed down from my Mom with zero measurements. It's a cajun stew of sorts with lots of delicious chicken, sausage, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, etc. It's truly amazing and can be kept mild or kicked up several scoville units to your liking.

I knew the process and ingredients but as for "measuring", I never got around to it. That is until my brother asked for the recipe for a work function competition. It was at this point that I knew I was going to have to do the inevitable. So, I sat down and began to write it out and really get serious with what I was doing. I was about to put down on paper....email actually....the exact recipe so as not to lose him this competition. And, of course, preserve this timeless recipe for family.

I quickly figured out after speaking with my Mom that we make it a little bit different. She adds the chicken in after everything else is added and I boil the chicken separately then shred and add to the finished mix. I do this to save the chicken broth to add to the pot instead of boxed broth but either way, the chicken broth gets in there.

Let me know how you like it! Oh, and my brother won first place so.....I'd say it's really good

Sauce Piquante

8-10 servings

Ingredients:

6 Chicken thighs

2 Hillshire Farm smoked beef sausage links or 4 sticks of Smoked Andouille (Andouille is more authentic)

Olive Oil

2 Green Bell Peppers

2 Sweet Vidalia Onions

1 can of diced tomatoes with liquid

2 Bay leaves

2 tablespoons of Thyme

1 tablespoon of Garlic Powder

2 teaspoons of onion powder

Tony Chachere or other Cajun seasoning (to taste)

Salt/Pepper (to taste)

2 cans of tomato sauce

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1 to 2 containers of chicken broth (or enough to fill your pot with the chicken broth from your boiled chicken)

Hot Sauce (optional)

Directions:

Take the chicken with skin on and boil it until it is done. Set aside to cool down. Save your chicken broth to add if you want or use the chicken broth from your boiled chicken (I’ve used both). Coat heavy cooking pot with olive oil then slice your sausage and add it to the pot. Cook sausage until it starts to get brown and leaves brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Those bits help make the dish amazing! After the sausage is cooked remove it and put it in a separate bowl off to the side for later. Chop the onion and bell pepper in chunky pieces and cook down in the pot. The water from the vegetables, as they cook down, will help lift the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. Cook until the vegetables are soft while scraping the bits off the bottom.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, thyme, garlic, onion powder and bay leaves. Simmer for about 10 minutes. This is where you are creating a concentrated mixture of flavor that you will dilute down in a little bit so it’s important to make sure you allow this to simmer down so all the flavors inner mix. Add the sausage and chunked/shredded chicken and two tablespoons of tomato paste. Mix well. Add the chicken broth until the pot is about 2/3 full. Simmer on low for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Check the taste. If there is a foam on top then there's too much tomato "whatever" so add chicken stock and simmer down. Keep simmering, stirring and tasting as you go. I simmer this for one to 2 hours all the while adding more seasonings if needed or more chicken broth if needed. However, you want the sauce to be thicker not like a runny soup. Cooking it down so it becomes a concentrated mixture of goodness is the goal. I find myself adding more Thyme as I go because that is the ingredient that gives it that very unique flavor.

Serve over rice....I like the Uncle Ben’s parboiled rice for this or a long grain rice is good as well.

Enjoy!!