Chicken Creole

Favorite Regional Recipes, p. 25

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound) cut into 1-inch cubes

1 teaspoon salt, divided

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

½ cup finely sliced celery

½ cup diced green pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

½ cup water

1-1/2 teaspoons paprika

Dash cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon cold water

Happy veggies!

Combine chicken, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper; toss lightly. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil; remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute onion, celery, green pepper and garlic until tender. Stir in tomatoes, water, paprika, remaining salt, cayenne pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil. 

That's a damn majestic sauce.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add chicken. Blend cornstarch and cold water; stir into chicken mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Gotta love peppy-looking food.

My Rating: 4/5 "The paprika in this is a unique approach to this kind of cooking, but I liked the smoky aura it added to the flavor of the sauce. The chicken really does get nice and tender. I'm not the world's biggest bell pepper fan in general, and there's a lot of bell pepper flavor here, but it does taste nice and Louisiana that way, so it's still a treat!"