chicken fricassee

My grandmother was a passionate, creative cook who was a master of all things Cajun cooking.  

I was reminded of this when I was thinking of new chicken dishes to try.  Chicken fricassee is a yummy Cajun dish with chicken (obviously), sausage (sometimes), onion and celery with seasonings including cayenne pepper and garlic. 

And of course, what Cajun dish would be complete without the roux?

Chicken Fricassee

4 large chicken breasts 

2 (12 ounce) packages andouille sausage, sliced (I used Trader Joe's All Natural Chicken Andouille) 
5 green onions, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups water
5 stalks celery, chopped
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic

1. Saute chicken and sausage in a large skillet until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove meat from skillet, add green onions and onion and saute until soft. Set aside.
2. To make roux:  In a small saucepan, stir together oil and flour over low heat; cook until color is caramel and mixture is reduced to 1 cup of roux. Set aside.
3. Put water in a large pot. Add the chicken, sausage, onion mixture, celery, seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt, ground black pepper and garlic. Bring all to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Add 1/2 cup roux and stir together; the mixture should have the consistency of chowder. If necessary, add the remaining 1/2 cup roux.
4. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice.