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
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Delicious! I’ve made it a few times and it’s always a big hit with my family. I do add a little more seasoning than it calls for and I also cook it for a little longer just to really get the chicken tender.
I made this for the first time the other night for a dinner party and it was delicious! Everyone raved thank you.
Family favorite with awesome favors
Excellent recipe for sauce piquant ! All the Cajun aspects in this dish ! My family loved it and compared it to a dish we had in New Orleans
Wrong pictures come up for Pinterest.
None of them are for sauce picante. 😣
OMG!!!! I think I wanna go visit New Orleans!!!! Just so good!!!!!!!!!!
Little to no alteration needed. Amazing.
What do you do with the extra half teaspoon of Tony’s? I stirred it in with the tomatoes and broth. Smells divine, can’t wait to try it!
This is legit! I didn’t have to alter a thing!! 10/10 will make this a regular in rotation.
Delicious! We let it simmer on the stove top for about 30 min w/ lid on and 15 min w/ lid off. Great recipe!