Spicy Creole-Mex Chicken Stew~ It’s a Fusion Thing!

Spicy Creole-Mex Chicken Stew. For many years I have been fascitnated with the whole New Orleans vibe. Ok, Ok, it’s the food that really sparked my interest, I must confess. The history is vibrant and colorful, much like that of Mexico. The trend today and for a while now is fusion cooking. Some of the most popular restaurants and food trucks out there are serving up the most wonderful, complex and flavorful dishes.  I have experimented with a few recipes in my own kitchen, usually pairing Asian and Mexican. For a couple of years I was teaching cooking classes and my good friend Suwanee, who is from Thailand was also one of the teachers. She taught and shared some of the most delicious Thai recipes I had ever had. They were so clean and simple, but so delicious! During our time there, I realized that there were many ingredients that were very similar in our recipe. Even though mine were Mexican and hers were Thai, there were many similarities. The Creole recipes caught my attention because I found them to be similar to the low and slow stewed recipes I love so much from Mexico. A tomato based sauce with aromatics, herbs and spicy cayenne. Right up my alley! I had a few chicken drumsticks and andouille sausage that I smoked on my charcoal grill. Instead of just eating as is, I decided to create this spicy stew with both Creole and Mexican flavors.   

My friends at the “Trupp Cooking School” are creating and developing beautiful and tasty dishes.  Check out their line up of cooking classes by clicking on the link below.

Olive oil
½ cup celery, diced
½ cup red bell pepper, diced
1 cup sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red fresno pepper, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 cups fire roasted tomatoes, crushed
2 cups chicken broth
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
6 large basil leaves, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 green onions, sliced thin
1 large lemon
Hot sauce

TIPS *I smoked and grilled 5 chicken drum sticks and the sausage before adding it to the recipe. I also grilled the tomatoes (6roma), hot peppers, sweet onion and garlic before adding them to the recipe. It added so much more flavor!

Directions

1. In a large heavy pot, preheat 3 tablespoons of olive oil to medium heat. Add the celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic, fresno and jalapeño. Season lightly with salt and pepper and saute for 7 to 10 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, broth, cilantro, basil, oregano, thyme, cumin, worcestershire, cayenne, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add the chicken and sausage and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning,

4. Add the butter, green onions and juice of half a lemon. Cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with rice. Garnish with hot sauce and lemon wedges.Yields up to 6 servings.