¼ cup vegetable oil
4 lb. chicken-leg quarters – each cut into 4 pieces, bone in
2 lb. andouille or other smoked sausage, cut into ¼ -inch-thick slices
2 large yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Tabasco
1 Tbsp. salt-free Creole seasoning
1 Tbsp. salt
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried marjoram
4 cups (uncooked) Uncle Ben’s rice, or similar parboiled rice
2 green onions, chopped
3 springs flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4 dozen large fresh shrimp
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Add the chicken and sausage, and brown the chicken all over. Add the onions, peppers, celery, and garlic, and sauté until they wilt. Add the chicken stock and 5 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the browned bits in the pot.
Add the Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, Creole seasoning, bay leaf, thyme, and marjoram. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside. Stir the rice into the pot. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove the chicken meat from the bones and set aside. When the rice is cooked, stir in the chicken, green onions, parsley, and shrimp. Continue to cook, uncovered, gently stirring occasionally, until the rise starts to dry out. Adjust the seasonings as needed.
Serves 12 to 15
In bestselling author Rochelle Alers’ passionate, uplifting new series, four friends from very different backgrounds find new beginnings amid the sultry beauty of New Orleans…
Corporate attorney Hannah DuPont-Lowell always pictured herself returning to New Orleans to retire—just not yet. But after her Manhattan company abruptly lays off its staff, there’s no better place to figure out a next move than the porch of her plantation-style home.
Nestled in the stunning Garden District, the DuPont House has been in Hannah’s family for two centuries. With its eighteen rooms and two guesthouses, it’s far more home than widowed Hannah needs. Still, it could make a wonderful inn, especially if she can convince her friends and former coworkers Tonya, Jasmine, and Nydia to join in the venture. But in the meantime, Hannah has a high school reunion to attend…
College Professor St. John McNair, Hannah’s one-time classmate, is still the finest guy in any room. Between Hannah’s willowy, blonde beauty, and his uncanny resemblance to Marvin Gaye, they make a striking pair. And gradually, their rekindled friendship moves toward romance. Still, Hannah is too bruised by her late husband’s infidelities to trust a man again. But her friends’ arrival and encouragement just might show her a path through uncertainty—straight to a vibrant, joyful new life…