Jackson Jambalaya

Comfort food is always a good choice when the rains of fall come our way.

Thank goodness! I am hopeful the hot dry days if August are behind us, although replacing them with September hurricane (tropical storm?) weather seems a bit extreme. Like some of you, I learned a long time ago to never say “we have seen the worst weather ever” because the “worst weather ever” may be the next storm to hit. I also learned that bad weather always “happens two counties over”, until the storm path comes across your neighborhood.

I am an old guy and have memories of Camille in August of 1969, wrecking the coast and trying to wash away the dam at Barnett Reservoir. Then Ivan in 2004 when, even though we were three hours away from the beach, the wind took down 14 trees on our property in Meridian. I could have kissed the linemen from Ohio who cut the trees off our power lines and the group of workers from Illinois who repaired the downed wires to get our power back on. I think we were without power for 8 days and were better off than many. There is not really a reason to talk about Katrina in 2005 except to say it was a horror show of gigantic proportions/

Hopefully we will ease through the rest of the 2024 season with limited damage.

Let's talk about better stuff!

Some days deserve comfort food. There are many dishes I think about when I want a simple meal that warms the stomach and soul. Smothered chicken and southern veggies does the job just fine for me. I never use a real recipe for this kind of food, just rely on the fact I have cooked it many times to get the tasty stuff on the table. When my amounts sound iffy in this recipe, it is because they are.

Smothered Chicken with onion gravy, mashed potatoes and purple hull peas.

Smothered Chicken?

Ingredients:

Chicken pieces - thighs, breasts, or tenders. Number needed depends on how hungry you are
Bacon – 2 or 3 strips, cut into bite sized pieces
Salt, garlic powder, Slap Ya Momma, black pepper - to taste
1 medium onion, sliced or chopped, or more if you like
Worcestershire sauce 1 or two shots, maybe 2 teaspoons
Chicken Broth 1 – 2 cups (we always have frozen broth in the freezer, but canned works great)
flour - Self Rising or AP – 1 – 1 1/2 cups

Red Potatoes, “enough for however many folks will be at the table”
Sour Cream, Heavy Cream, Butter and Chives, as you see in the photos

Purple Hull peas maybe a half cup per person, or maybe 3/4 cup per person

Directions:

Cut up and cook several slices of bacon. When nice and crispy, set aside.

Thaw chicken and season with garlic powder, Salt, Black Pepper, and slap Ya Momma. Your seasonings may differ, depending on how your mom cooked her version. Fresh chicken is better, but we almost always keep some frozen chicken in the freezer.

Coat chicken with seasoned flour.

Fry the chicken in bacon fat, with some additional vegetable oil added. When fully cooked and browned, remove from the oil and set aside.

If you want to cheat, go to the local gas station and buy some Krispy Krunchy fried tenders, which seem to be getting more expensive every day.

Remove most of the fat and add the sliced onion, along with a quarter cup of the seasoned flour used to coat the chicken pieces. Since you are using the flour, you seasoned for coating the chicken, it should be seasoned enough for gravy. Brown the flour to a light (darker than tan) color with stirring. As the flour browns, the onions will caramelize. Do not burn the onions.

Add 1 – 1 ½ cups of chicken broth to the lightly browned flour and onions. Stir until a nice gravy forms. Add a shot or two of Worcestershire sauce. I actually added a little chicken paste to mine, which isn't really needed, but fine if you do it.

Add the chicken pieces to the gravy and cook at a simmer for 20-30 minutes, with a cover. Add a little water or chicken broth if needed. I usually add some chopped parsley toward the end of cooking. You can use chopped green onions or chives if you like.

Making the Mashed Potatoes - Peel some red potatoes and cut into 1 - 2 inch pieces. I had some new potatoes, so I used them. You can use whatever you have in the potato bin. I like to leave a bit of peel on mine, since that is the most nutritious park of a potato.

I have been guilty of making a bag, cooking some frozen English (green) peas, mixing them together and having that for supper. Takes me right back to my childhood when instant potatoes weren't nearly as good as they are now.

Purple Hull Peas

Cook purple hull peas in enough water to cover them, with a bit of vegetable oil, salt and a little less sugar than salt. Cook at a low boil until they are done, Taste one or two as they cook to determine when to turn off the heat. They will hold fine if the pan is covered with a lid to keep them warm.

It's time to enjoy some comfort. Plate with some of the bacon bits scattered over the smothered chicken and gravy and bacon over the potatoes.

A bit of fudge swirl Ice Cream afterwards is always nice. Please excuse the vanilla under the swirl. It was the last in the carton of vanilla, so I suffered through a mixed bowl. 

A note to KF – I got your email message and will oblige your request.

Thanks for looking at my recipe post.
God Bless You.