6 servings (Can increase the ingredients to serve more people)
YouTube instructional video is at the bottom.
What you’ll need
2- and 1/2-pounds chicken legs or chicken thighs
Long grain rice (Jasmine rice)
Two 15-ounce cans green peas
2 pounds russet potatoes
5 large eggs
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Sweet relish
All-purpose flour
Sugar
Vegetable or canola oil
Salted butter
Seasonings
Yellow onion
Celery
Green bell pepper
Garlic
Salt
Black pepper
Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
Chef Paul Prudhomme’s poultry magic
Granulated onion
Granulated garlic
Dried thyme
Tools you’ll need
Potato peeler
Preparation of ingredients
Seasonings
Step 1- Chop half of a yellow onion, 2 ribs celery, half of a green bell pepper, and press 2 cloves garlic with a garlic press. Make sure you rinse off your celery and green bell pepper before you chop it.
Potatoes
Step 2- Peel russet potatoes with a potato peeler. Chop russet potatoes in half going down the length. Chop each russet potato half into small cubes. Add cubed potatoes into a medium-sized bowl. Add 4 and 1/2 cups water and 2 teaspoons vinegar into bowl with the cubed potatoes. Move the chopped potatoes around in the water using your hands. Let the potato cubes soak for 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with a lid and drain the bowl into your kitchen sink. Fill the bowl back up with water again and move the potatoes around in the water using your hand. Cover the bowl with a lid and drain the water into your kitchen sink once again.
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 3- Add 1- and 1/2-quarts water and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt into a medium-sized pot and let come to a simmer. Add the cubed potatoes and stir. Let simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, add the potato cubes into a mesh strainer or regular strainer and let them cool completely. Once the potato cubed has cooled completely, place them into a medium-sized bowl and cover with a lid. Place into fridge for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potato salad is ready to be assembled.
Eggs
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 4- Add 1 quart of water into a small 2-quart pot and bring the water up to a simmer. Carefully add the eggs into the simmering water using either and mesh strainer or a slotted spoon. Let simmer for 12 minutes.
Step 5- Add 2 and 1/2 cups cold water into a medium-sized bowl. Carefully add the boiled eggs into the cold water and let them sit in the water for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 6-Crack the bottom and top portions of each egg using a butter knife. Rinse each egg off with cold water while carefully peeling off the shell off of each egg with your fingers.
Step 7- Cut an incision into each egg going all around the egg white. Open the eggs and remove the egg yolk from the egg white. Add the egg whites into one bowl and add the egg yolks into a separate bowl. Chop the egg whites until minced. Mash the egg yolks really well using a sturdy spoon. Add 1/2 cup mayonnaise and 2 teaspoons mustard into the bowl with the mashed egg yolks and stir with a whisk until well combined.
Assembling the potato salad
Step 8- Add chopped egg whites, 3 tablespoons chopped yellow onion, 3 tablespoons chopped celery, and 1/3 cup sweet relish. Stir all ingredients together. Add Mayonnaise and egg yolk mixture, 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon seasonal salt and 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning into the bowl with the cooled cubed potatoes. Stir all ingredients together. Spread the potato salad around the bowl as evenly as possible. Lightly sprinkle season all salt or Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning on top of the potato salad. Cover the bowl with a lid. Place into fridge for 4 to 6 hours or overnight. Potato salad is best made 1 to 2 days in advance.
Chicken pieces
Step 9- Rinse chicken legs or thighs off with cold water. Trim off any excessive skin and remove any unwanted fat from the chicken pieces. Place the chicken pieces into a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1 teaspoon chef Paul’s poultry magic, 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion, and 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic. Coat the seasonings on the chicken pieces using your hands. Cover the bowl with a lid and let marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.
Note- While the chicken pieces are marinating, you can start making the rice and the green peas.
Cooking the rice
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 10- Add 1- and 1/2-quarts water and 1 and 1/2 cups long grain rice into a medium-sized bowl. Stir all ingredients. The water come to a simmer first, then let the rice simmer for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes make sure you taste test the rice to see if it is tender.
Step 11- Add the rice into a mesh strainer. Rinse the rice off with cold water. Let the rice set for 15 to 20 minutes. This will allow the rice to absorb any excessive water.
Cooking the green peas
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 12- Add two 15-ounce cans green peas into a small 2-quart pot. Let the mixture get hot for 3 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons cubed salted butter, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup chopped yellow onion. Let simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Once done turn your fire off and let the peas cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Searing the chicken pieces
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 13- Let a large saucepan get hot for 1 to 2 minutes. Spread salted butter around the inside bottom of the saucepan. Add chicken legs or thighs into the hot saucepan. Sear the chicken pieces for 3 minutes on each side. Once done transfer the chicken pieces onto a shallow serving bowl and set on the side.
Deglazing the saucepan
Step 14- Add 4 and 1/2 cups water into the large saucepan that you seared the chicken pieces in and let that simmer for 3 to 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes. Add the mixture into a stainless-steel bowl to continue cooling.
Making the gravy base
Step 15- Add 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil and 1/3 cup all-purpose flour into a pre-heated large saucepan. Stir continuously with a wooden spatula for 6 minutes or until the mixture is a brown color.
Step 16- Add 2/3 cup chopped yellow onion, 1/3 cup chopped celery, and 1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper and stir continuously for 2 minutes. Add 2 cloves pressed garlic, 4 and 1/2 cups of the deglazed pan juices, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon chef Paul’s poultry magic, and 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme. Stir all ingredients together. Let the mixture come up to a simmer.
Step 17- Add chicken pieces and move the chicken pieces around the liquid. Cover the pot with a lid. Let simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid off of your large saucepan. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, and 1 teaspoon chef Paul’s poultry magic. Move the chicken pieces around into the liquid. Cover with a lid and let simmer for 40 minutes. After 1 hour and 10 minutes cooking time the chicken smothered in gravy is done. Let cool for 35 minutes before serving.
Quick tips- The gravy will thicken as it cools. If you want an even thicker gravy, let the mixture simmer for an additional 12 to 15 minutes. For best results serve the next day os flavors can settle and increase overnight.
YouTube instructional video
