How to make spicy chicken Rosalie like a New Orleans native

I watched Food Network chef Melissa D’Arabian cook some Spanish style one-pot dish recently and decided to give it a try from memory. That’s dangerous, I know. While I wound up adding a few more veggies and wine, it turned out pretty much like hers but with a little more flavors.It reminds me of a chicken “cousin” to the jambalaya my grandmother, the willful and beautiful Rosalie Dial, used to make for me, so I’m naming it after her.

I think you’ll like it for a Sunday afternoon dinner or a rainy NOLA day when it’s just better to stay inside and read a good book.

EQUIPMENT

• chopping board
• knife,
• couple of large bowls
• large/wide dutch oven with top
• wooden spoon
• measuring equipment
• baking sheet
• tongs

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or buy your favorite parts, enough for 4-5 people)
• Dry rub:
  • 4 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons coarse salt
• Extra salt/pepper to season as you cook
• 2 bell peppers, one red/one green (you can substitute with yellow squash and zucchini)
• 1 cup each, chopped:
  • carrots
  • green onions
  • celery
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice

LET’S GET STARTED

Rinse chicken parts, remove skin. Place on a baking sheet and pat dry. Sprinkle rub on under side, pat rub to adhere. Repeat on top side. Let rub “rest” on chicken while you prep the veggies.

Chop your vegetables uniformly: onions about 1/2 inch, everything else about the same size.  Don’t like bell peppers? Sub yellow squash and zucchini. It won’t taste the same, but it will still be good.

Add oil to your dutch oven and heat on medium-high for 5 mins. Add 4-5 chicken pieces, topside down. Cook 5 mins to allow rub-crust to brown. Turn and repeat.  Chicken does not have to be fully cooked. This is going into the oven to finish cooking.

When chicken is brown, place pieces on plate or clean baking sheet. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

After chicken is removed, add vegetables to saute on medium heat. Add a little salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon dried oregano and bay leaves. (I like to make sure bay leaves are on the bottom closest to the pan so the heat will encourage them to yield more flavor.)

After 8-10 mins, add minced garlic, tomato paste, lemon juice, wine and chicken broth. Taste liquid to see if it needs more salt. Adjust, if so. Turn up heat and bring to simmer.

Add 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice.

Stir lightly into vegetable mixture about 1 min to ensure it’s thoroughly coated by the liquid, then return chicken to the pan. Pour any chicken liquid from the baking sheet into your pan. Cover, braise in oven for 35 mins.

Uncover, cook in oven another 15 mins. Let stand on the stove top 5-7 mins before serving with a pretty side like asparagus or sliced summer tomatoes.

Leftovers warm up nicely in the microwave.

Come back to NewinNOLA.com every week for “Southfacin’ Cook,” where Patsy explains the basics to Southern cooking and eating. Contact her with suggestions, questions or requests at patsy.brumfield@gmail.com.

Previous recipes from Patsy: