Chicken and Okra Creole
My neighbor Carol and I have all these green tomatoes we pulled off the vines that are ripening on her enclosed back porch. They don’t have that summer tomato flavor but they do taste better than those from the grocery store! I’m glad we still have garden tomatoes for our sandwiches and I keep making one more batch of salsa. I also picked the last of the peppers. I grew a sweet Italian long pepper, I like to let it ripen to red on the plant but ole Mr. Frost came along and I had to pick all the green ones. Cajun cuisine came to mind, you always need peppers and tomatoes along with celery and onion. I have seen many shrimp and chicken creoles all with a tomatoey type of sauce, not one has okra in it. With lots of okra in the freezer that’s how I came up with Chicken and Okra Creole. I like the green color of the okra; it really jazzes up the color of the finished dish.
Chicken and Okra Creole
2 teaspoon olive oil
3 medium onion coarsely chopped, about 2 ½ cups chopped
1 cup coarsely chopped green pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 dried cayenne
1 cup chicken broth
5 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
Couple sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 cups cubed chicken breast
2 cup sliced okra, thaw if frozen
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Heat a large stockpot over medium heat, add oil. When oil is hot add the onion, pepper, celery, garlic and dried cayenne broken in half. If you don’t have a dried cayenne, a pinch of hot pepper flakes will do. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes until softened.
Add chicken broth, chopped tomatoes, (peel and seed the tomatoes if you like, I take the lazy road and don’t) bay leaves, sprig of thyme, paprika, ground red pepper, black pepper, and salt; stir. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Add the chicken and simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add the okra, stir and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Taste, adjust salt and pepper. Serve over your favorite steamed rice and sprinkle with the parsley.
