Cajun Food | Basics with Babish (feat. Isaac Toups)

chicken

🥗Healthier: turkey

💰Cheaper: chicken thighs

Turkey is leaner, while chicken thighs are more budget-friendly.

shrimp

🥗Healthier: tofu

💰Cheaper: canned beans

Tofu is a plant-based protein, while beans are economical.

Take green bell pepper, celery, and white onion (also known as the 'holy trinity') and dice them into medium-sized pieces. Set aside for later.

Mince garlic cloves and set aside for later.

To make the roux, add vegetable oil to a pot and allow it to get smoking hot before adding all purpose flour. Using a wooden spoon or preferably a whisk, mix together until the consistency is similar to wet sand.

Within 30 seconds, the roux should be the color of milk chocolate. The darker the roux gets, the more you need to stir it, but let it sit for a few seconds before continuing to stir. After about 5-6 minutes, the color of the roux should be nice and dark or similar to the color of a Hershey’s chocolate bar. Set aside some of the roux to use later.

Add bay leaves as well as your 'holy trinity' to the pot. Make sure to set aside some of the holy trinity mix for later.

Once the mixture calms down a bit, add the minced garlic to the pot. Let the roux sit for 30 seconds.

Add beer and stir it in and whisk to prevent the mixture from becoming clumpy. Then, add chicken stock and whisk using the same procedure as the beer.

Take andouille sausage or smoked kielbasa and cut into coins.

Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to both sides of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Sear the chicken thighs in a smoking hot pan with oil.

Add cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt to the roux.

Turn the stovetop temperature to the lowest simmer possible and add a generous amount of black pepper to the roux. Then, add smoked paprika and stir.

After browning the chicken, add it straight to the pot and set aside the remaining oil from the chicken. Next, add the chopped up sausage or smoked kielbasa to the pot.

Bring the roux to a bare simmer, cover it, and let sit for a couple of hours.

Serve with cooked white rice, garnish with scallions, and enjoy.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens