One-Pot Chicken Creole

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Bone-in chicken thighs get a hard sear, then braise in a bright, cayenne-warmed Creole tomato sauce built on the holy trinity. It's the weeknight cousin of shrimp creole — one skillet, forty-five minutes, and a pot of white rice to catch every drop.

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 lb)
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp hot sauce, plus more to serve
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels. Combine the paprika, garlic powder, thyme, 1 tsp salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a small bowl, then rub the mixture over all sides of the thighs. Let them sit at room temperature while you prep the vegetables, about 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the thighs skin side down and sear undisturbed for 7 to 8 minutes, until the skin is deep golden and releases easily. Flip and sear 3 minutes more, then transfer to a plate. The chicken will not be cooked through.
3. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the butter, and once it foams add the onion, bell pepper, and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes so it toasts and loses its raw smell. Add the tomato paste and cook 1 minute more, until it darkens to brick red.
5. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan smooth. Add the bay leaves, oregano, Worcestershire, hot sauce, sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer.
6. Nestle the thighs into the sauce skin side up, along with any juices from the plate, keeping the skin above the surface so it stays crisp. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken registers 175°F at the bone and the sauce has thickened to a loose gravy.
7. While the chicken simmers, rinse the rice under cold water until it runs mostly clear. Combine it with the water and 3/4 tsp salt in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
8. Discard the bay leaves. Stir the lemon juice and half the scallions into the sauce around the chicken, then taste and adjust salt and hot sauce — it should be tangy and gently spicy, not shy.
9. Spoon rice into wide bowls, set a thigh on top of each, and ladle sauce generously around. Finish with the remaining scallions and the parsley, with more hot sauce at the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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