Chicken Sauce Piquante

3lb bone in chicken pieces

1/2lb bacon

1/2lb smoked sausage

2 pounds raw shrimp

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

2 bell peppers, diced

1 sweet onion, diced 

4 stalks celery, diced

2 green onions chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups of chicken stock

1 beer

1 - 1.5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup bacon grease

2 tablespoons creole seasoning

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

1.5 tablespoons brown sugar

2 cups long grain white rice

2 stick butter, softened

1 loaf French bread

Feeds 4-6

*note: we grilled bbq chicken and made this using the left over deboned grilled chicken and it was delicious. If not bbqing chicken ahead of time, you can boil and reserve chicken stock. 

Cook and debone chicken into bite sized pieces. Set aside to add back later. Save stock if boiling chicken. Rotisserie chicken would be fine too. 

In a heavy stock pot or large Dutch oven, fry 1/2 pound of bacon. Chop and set aside for garnish. 

Brown smoked sausage in bacon grease, spoon out browned sausage and set aside to add back later. 

Reduce the bacon grease heat to medium low and add flour to make a roux. Google how to make a roux. Add enough flour to get the thick smooth melted peanut butter consistency. Brown to a Caramel color. 

Add chopped bell peppers, onions, celery and garlic to the roux and cook over medium heat till veggies are tender. 

Add 3-4 cups of stock, seasonings and sugar and diced tomatoes to roux and return to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour, then add 1/2 a beer and tomato paste and simmer for another hour. Add more stock or beer to get a thick tomato sauce consistency. 

Add chicken and sausage back to the pot and simmer low for 30 minutes while you cook the rice and bread.
Boil 4 cups of water and add 2 cups of rice, a pat of butter and a punch of salt. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 20 minutes.  

Cut French loaf in half, spread a stick of butter per side to bread. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Turn on broiler and brown deeply. 

When rice and bread are done, add shrimp to simmering sauce. Simmer for 3 minutes, then turn heat off and allow shrimp to continue to cook while you get the bread sliced and the hot rice plated. 

Serve on a dinner plate with a mound of rice in the middle and sauce piquant around the rice.