Cajun Chicken Ragu – An Old and Misspelled Mardi Gras Classic

Many years ago,
at a small neighborhood restaurant in San Francisco, a young cook got to do his
very first menu “special.” It featured pulled chicken, Cajun sausage, and
peppers stewed in a rich, spicy gravy; and was served over grilled French bread. 

Not
sure what to call it, the inexperienced, but handsome cook described it as a,
“sort of Cajun ragout of chicken,” which made it on to the specials board as,
“Cajun Chicken Ragu.”


Yes, I was that
young cook, and the following recipe is pretty close to that historic dish.
While I did enjoy it over the grilled bread back in the day, a gravy this
awesome really deserves to be served over a big pile of rice. These are the
kind of things you learn as you mature. That, and make sure you spell out your
specials to the disinterested waiter writing the chalkboard.

Anyway, since I’m
not going to New Orleans for Mardi Gras (I’m allergic to feathers and drunk
tourists), I thought I’d dust off this old, personal favorite, which while not
totally authentic, certainly celebrates those fabulous Cajun/Creole flavors.

As I mentioned in
the video, this works with any kind of chicken, raw or cooked. As long as you
simmer the gravy to an appropriate thickness, and make sure your meats are fully
cooked, and heated through, you should be in bon shape. I hope you give this a
try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for 4
large portions of Cajun Chicken Ragu:
6 slices of
bacon, cut in 1/4-inch pieces
1 large onion,
diced
2 ribs celery,
diced
large pinch of
salt
1 green bell
pepper, diced
1 red bell
pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic,
minced
1 tbsp vegetable
oil
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp freshly
ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp dried
oregano
3 cups cold
chicken broth
1 tsp
Worcestershire sauce
8 oz andouille
sausage, sliced
2 or 3 cups
pulled chicken meat
1/4 cup chopped
green onions, plus more to garnish
*check for salt
and seasoning, and adjust at the end!

This recipe has already been read 582 times!

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