Rice and Chicken Stir-Fry with Three Peppers

Ingredients

• ½ pound andouille sausage links
• 1 poblano chile
• 1 red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 tablespoons Cajun-style seasoning
• 1 ½ tablespoons butter
• 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
• 2 banana (or hot) peppers, seeded and chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 cups long grain white rice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 (10 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies, undrained
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
• salt to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

Step 1

Heat your oven’s broiler and lining a baking sheet with foil. While that’s warming up, cook the andouille sausage in a skillet over medium heat until it’s nicely browned and cooked through, which should take about 15 minutes. Once done, take it out, slice it into thin pieces, and set it aside.

Step 2

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, removing the stems and seeds. Place them cut-side down on the baking sheet and pop them under the broiler. Keep an eye on them until the skins get blackened, around 7 minutes. Then, transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap so they steam and the skins loosen up, about 10 minutes. Peel off the charred skins, chop the peppers into bite-sized pieces, and set them aside.

Step 3

Now, heat up some canola oil in a large pot over high heat. Toss the chicken with Cajun seasoning, then cook it in batches until it’s browned and cooked through, roughly 6 minutes. Take the chicken out and drain it on paper towels, leaving the oil in the pot.

Step 4

Add butter to the pot and sauté the onion, banana peppers, celery, garlic, and shallot until the onions turn translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the rice along with a bit more butter, then pour in the chicken stock, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes with chilies. Cover the pot and let it simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, around 10 to 12 minutes.

Step 5

Pour in the beer, cover again, and cook for another 5 minutes until the rice is tender. Season everything with salt, then fold in the corn, chopped peppers, cooked chicken, and sausage. Let it all come to a gentle simmer one last time, then turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.