A white plate topped with a blackened chicken thigh, pot of beans and rice

Blackened chicken with beans and rice

Name: Blackened chicken with beans and rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in; 150g buttermilk; 180g smoked sausage, 2 small links, sliced into pound coin-width discs (smoked Polish or German sausages work well. Chorizo is also a great option); 1 large onion, finely diced; 1 green pepper, deseeded and finely diced; celery sticks, finely diced; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 200ml fresh chicken stock; 1 tsp hot sauce (Crystal is a New Orleans favourite but Tabasco or Frank’s are both good choices, too); 1 bay leaf; 2 x 400g tins kidney beans, rinsed and drained; 1 tbsp unsalted butter; 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional); cooked long grain rice or crusty bread, and lime wedges, to serve; 7 tbsp sweet paprika; 2 tbsp garlic powder; 2 tbsp cayenne pepper; 2 tbsp ground black pepper; 2 tbsp onion powder; 1½ tbsp dried oregano; 1½ tbsp dried thyme; 2½ tbsp fine salt

Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:10 mins
- Cook:50 mins
- plus marinating
A little effort
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
150g buttermilk
180g smoked sausage, 2 small links, sliced into pound coin-width discs (smoked Polish or German sausages work well. Chorizo is also a great option)
1 large onion, finely diced
1 green pepper, deseeded and finely diced
celery sticks, finely diced
2 tbsp tomato purée
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
200ml fresh chicken stock
1 tsp hot sauce (Crystal is a New Orleans favourite but Tabasco or Frank’s are both good choices, too)
1 bay leaf
2 x 400g tins kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)
cooked long grain rice or crusty bread, and lime wedges, to serve

BLACKENING MIX

7 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp onion powder
1½ tbsp dried oregano
1½ tbsp dried thyme
2½ tbsp fine salt

Method

STEP 1
Add the chicken to a baking dish and smother with the buttermilk. Turn to coat, then cover, chill and marinate for 24 hrs.
STEP 2
Cook the sausage in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat for 5-6 mins until it releases its oils and browns. Remove the sausage from the pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. In the same pan, add the onion, pepper and celery. Season and fry for 3-4 mins or until softened but not coloured. Add the tomato purée and garlic, cooking for a further minute, then stir in the sausage, stock, hot sauce and bay leaf. Add the beans to the pan, stirring to combine, then simmer over a low heat, covered, for 20 mins until the beans are tender and the mixture is thick. Add a splash of water if the pan seems dry and season to taste.
STEP 3
Remove the chicken from the buttermilk, scraping off the excess. Mix together the blackening spice mixture. Put the chicken on a plate and add 3-4 tbsp of the mixture until the chicken is coated in the spices. Store the left-over spice mixture for up to six months in a sterilised glass jar in a cool, dark place. Add the butter to a wide frying pan and put over a medium-high heat. Once melted and the pan is hot, add the chicken skin-side down. You should hear a good sizzle. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5-6 mins or until dark and crusty. The chicken will go black very fast, but don’t worry. Flip it over and cook for a further 6-8 mins. Add a splash of water to the pan then cover with a lid and cook for another 6 mins or until the chicken is cooked through completely.
STEP 4
Once ready, toss the parsley (if using) through the red beans and serve with the chicken, rice and a lime wedge.