Sunday Dinner....Chicken Sauce Piquante

[Rojo]

Oh, I've had Sauce Piquante on the brain this whole week. Caught a video on YouTube by chance that reminded me of a childhood meal.



I would have had it in a bowl but wanted to mix my rice as I was eating, if a bite of Cornbread was coming I mixed less rice. Still belonged to the empty plate club. My wife went back for seconds, she never does that.



Sam's will have these large trays of Leg Quarters or Breast Quarters from leftover Rotisserie Chickens for $3.98 at times. We were surprised to see them in the store Friday so I bought a few for Vacuum Packing. Once I got home I decided to pull the meat off a container to make the Sauce Piquante.



I put maybe 1/4 cup oil & 1/4 cup AP Flour in the iron cold and whisk to combine. Then set the eye to medium and left the flour to parch while getting the bones on to boil.



With the bones boiling & the Roux cooking I set to cutting aromatics.



Now it's time to add the onions to the Roux. I would normally use yellow onions, not the sweet kind either, I'm looking for a good back of the mouth sensation but all we had was the salad onions.



So I add only onions so the water from the celery & bell peppers do not prevent the onions from frying. Once the onions are fried to soften I just add the celery.



So I cooked this mixture till the celery tenderized by frying before adding the Bell Peppers, and the can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes & Green Chilies.



The stock is done. I added some celery & seasonings to the water for a little flavor boost. Once I pulled the bones out of the pot I ladled stock into the hot Roux a ladle at a time stirring in so no chance of the Roux "Breaking".



Time for the Chicken dark meat to return to the scene with a whopping amount added along with more stock.



Now I work in some good tomato paste. Not a can by any means, I'm looking for a "Rusty" color and a acknowledgeable background taste of tomato. From here the first seasonings are added along with Tony's Cajun seasonings.



Returning the skillet to a simmer I add my secret ingredient, fresh squeezed Meyer Lemon juice. Not the not fully ripe Eureka lemon juice that's in the store. I fresh squeeze all the end of the season Meyer lemons and freeze the juice in Whiskey Ice Cube molds. It's easy to pop the cubes out of the silicone, 2 are vacuum packed together. 1 cube was used. Really brightens and raises the acidity of the final dish.



All simmered down and ready for the plate but not so fast,



I made Cornbread. I love a bite of Cornbread with a fork of Sauce Piquante already in my mouth...........Excellent Sunday Dinner in Cajun Country.



P.S. we ate 1/2 the pan of Cornbread buttered. Some with a little Mayhaw Jelly for desert.