Chicken Sauce Piquant- boneless chicken thigh pieces are fried and then braised in a fabulously rich tomato sauce and served over rice. This Southern Louisiana Chicken recipe is packed with flavor.
Layers of Flavor
A combination of crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and slow braising leads to an intensely flavored tomato sauce. Slow cooking the tomatoes (along with a teaspoon of sugar) brings out their inherent sweetness. A couple of bacon slices add some smokiness.
And a combination of Creole seasoning and hot sauce gives this chicken dish plenty of spice.
You’ll fry the chicken and build all the flavor on the stove and then put the dish in the oven to bake for 45 minutes.
What Type of Chicken To Use?
Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You could use white chicken meat, but I think chicken thighs are better for this recipe. The chicken thighs get wonderfully tender and juicy simmering in the thick tomato broth.
How Spicy Is It?
It has a moderate amount of heat. For extra spiciness, serve with additional hot sauce.
Cook up a batch of this Chicken Sauce Piquant and see why it is a staple in many Acadian households in Lousiana.
More Cajun and Creole Recipes
- Easy Shrimp Creole
- Seafood Gumbo
- Grillades and Grits
- Shrimp Etouffee
- Slow Cooker Jambalaya
- Corn Macque Choux
Chicken Sauce Piquant
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning,, I use Tony Chachere's
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion,, diced
- 1 green bell pepper,, diced
- 1 celery rib,, diced
- 2 garlic cloves,, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- salt and pepper
- 3 green onions,, sliced
- white rice for serving
Instructions
- Cut each chicken thigh into 6 pieces. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning. Place in a medium bowl and add flour. Stir to coat the chicken evenly.
- Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Cook the chicken in 2 batches until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Reserve the flour left in the bowl.
- Add the onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, remaining tablespoon of oil and the leftover flour to the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring often for 5 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Stir in the tomato paste and then add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, bacon, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, bay leaves, and thyme.
- Add chicken and any juices back to the Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer, cover and place in oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook another 15 minutes.
- Add Tabasco sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves.
- Serve with rice and sprinkle with green onions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe adapted from Cook’s Country
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This was amazing! Thank you for sharing. I used white meat chicken and sausage. It was a hit with everyone❤️
Thank you for sharing your recipe! It is spot on and not only delicious but simple and a one pot meal. I will make this again and again. Its also a great base for shrimp creole and or Courtbouillon. Great recipe!!!
First time…
This just fantastic..
Mind is blown 😳..
So good!!! I didn’t change anything.
Next time I’ll use boneless/skinless thighs cuz cutting those things up was hardest & most time consuming part of this recipe lol
Thanks for sharing this, never had this dish before!
U gonna ruin it using white meat. .
Sorry, comment was posted in the wrong section.
Great recipe! Didn’t have bacon, so I left it out. Cooked it entirely on the stovetop, adding about 20 minutes longer to make sure the chicken was tender. Will be making it again. Thanks for sharing!
Tasty sauce was pretty plane with the creole seasoning. Did not have the brand quotes here. Chicken was tasty.