Gwinnett Daily Post

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For my birthday last month, my friend Tori Boone gave me lots of kitchen goodies, including Sandra Lee's cookbook — she's from the Food Network. I've been reading the book in and out trying to find the first recipe to make and I found this one. It's a little spicy, a little ricey and really good.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and cut into bite sized pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 3 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• Fresh parsley, chopped for garish, optional

1) Trim the chicken of fat and cut into pieces. Chop all of the produce. Now you're ready for easy cooking.

2) In a large, heavy-bottom pot — I used my Dutch oven — heat it over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and let it heat through.

3) Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the hot pot and brown on both sides. Remove the chicken to a plate when finished cooking.

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4) Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and heat through. Add onions, peppers and celery to the pot. Cook until the veggies are tender.

5) Add garlic, Cajun seasoning, cayenne, salt and pepper. Make sure to stir it around onto the vegetables.

6) Stir in rice. Invite the chicken back to the pot and add chicken broth and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

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7) Bring the pot to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer. Cook the mixture for about 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/users/photos/2012/mar/07/38362/

8) Top with parsley and serve.

How do you make this Creole classic?