Chicken-Andouille Casserole

This is another Emril-based Casserole. Again, the plan is to cook bulk comfort food that is ‘sort-of’ healthy, but something that will freeze well in the vacuum bags. We generally have most of this stuff laying around, except the sausage. Plan on serving this with a nice bright veggie, or at least a healthy salad, because it is kind of ‘heavy.’ It may have onions, artichokes, but the veggies are lost in the meat and sauce.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows (this makes a great quick rub, so we usually have some of this pre-made)
• 2 to 2 1/2 pounds chicken. We use leg quarters split (4), breasts are fine (3 or 4)…or whole cut up fryer.
• 1/2 dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 links of Emril’s Andouille sausages, chopped
• 1 cup chopped sweet onions
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 4 ounces mushrooms, stems trimmed, wiped clean, and sliced
• 1 can of artichoke hearts, quartered
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock we use low fat, low sodium
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
• French bread, accompaniment

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a heavy plastic bag, combine the flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the Essence. Add the chicken and toss until well coated. Shake to remove any excess breading and reserve the remaining flour.

In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, remaining Essence, cheese, and butter. Mix and set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in batches as necessary and cook until browned on each side. Do not try to cook the chicken all the way through, just long enough to give a good crisp brown on the outside. The chicken will cook through in the oven. Drain excess oil/fat. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb oil.

Add the sausage and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until almost browned, about 4 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, and cayenne and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are soft and give off their liquid, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the artichokes, stock, milk and parsley, bring to a boil.  Place the chicken in a large pan (wee use a couple glass cooking trays), cover with the mixture from the frying pan. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the top and bake until bubbly and the top has a golden crust, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Plate the chicken and half-cut french bread portions, and then top the french bread with the onion/sausage mixture. Serve with something like green beans, or peas.

Lots of flavor, one piece of chicken, the bread and toppings make a complete meal with a side of veggies.