ROUSES_MayJun2019_Magazine-Print

Ça C’est Bon!

photos by Romney Caruso

People often confuse sticky chicken with smothered, but Donald Rouse says the two are not the same. “My mom grew up in Eunice, which is near Mamou and not too far from Opelousas, where Paul Prudhomme was raised. My grandpar- ents made sticky and smothered. For sticky chicken, you typically only use salt and pepper for seasoning, though I sometimes use Rouses Cajun seasoning, and it is cooked in just a bit of grease, lid off. Smoth- ered chicken is made with onions, and the chicken can be dusted with flour, which helps thicken the gravy. It’s cooked with the lid on. You can smother just about any meat; I particularly like smothered pork chops. When we are at the duck camp in South Louisiana – I’ve been taking Donny there since he was a kid — we always use fresh duck.” DONALD ROUSE’S EUNICE STICKY CHICKEN Makes 4 servings WHAT YOU WILL NEED 1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces Salt and freshly ground black pepper or Rouses Cajun seasoning Vegetable oil HOW TO PREPARE Season the chicken with salt and pepper (or Rouses Cajun season- ing). Coat a hot skillet with cooking oil and add the chicken. Cook, lid off, until chicken is brown and sticky and liquid has evaporated. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, stirring often. Check the chicken for tenderness after 1 hour. (When the juices of the chicken run clear when pierced with a knife, and the temperature reads 165 degrees when measured with an instant-read thermom- eter, the chicken is done.) When the chicken is tender, taste and add salt and black pepper or Cajun seasoning if necessary. Serve with a vegetable.

DONALD ROUSE’S SMOTHERED CHICKEN Makes 6 servings WHAT YOU WILL NEED 1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces Salt and freshly ground black pepper or Rouses Cajun seasoning 1 cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3 cups of the trinity (chopped bell pepper, onions and celery) 3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped 1 bay leaf 1 cup chicken stock Hot cooked white rice, for serving HOW TO PREPARE Season the chicken with salt and pepper or Rouses Cajun seasoning. Dust chicken on all sides with flour. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat until shim- mering. Add the chicken to the hot oil and brown on all sides. Add the trinity, garlic and bay leaf. Stir in the stock. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until

30 MAY•JUNE 2019