Cajun Chicken & Rice

Ingredients

• 700 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into large chunks
• 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and black pepper
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 300 g long-grain rice, rinsed
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• hot sauce, to serve
• Crusty bread, to serve
• Fresh parsley, to serve
• Soured cream, to serve
• Creamy coleslaw, to serve
• Pickled jalapeños, to serve

Method

1. Toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning, a generous pinch of salt and a good grind of black pepper — season properly now, because the spice crust is your first layer of flavour. Pat the pieces dry on the surface; water means steam, and steam means no browning.
2. Heat the oil in a wide, lidded casserole over a high heat until it shimmers. Brown the chicken in two batches for about 4 minutes, turning once, until deeply coloured outside but not yet cooked through. Don't crowd the pan — all at once and the chicken steams in its own juices instead of building those dark stuck bits on the base. Lift out and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Tip in the onion, green pepper and celery — the Cajun holy trinity — and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened, glossy and starting to catch at the edges. They'll lift the fond from the chicken as they go.
4. Add the garlic, the remaining Cajun seasoning, the smoked paprika and the cayenne. Bloom the spices in the oil for 30–60 seconds, stirring, until fragrant — raw spices taste dusty, bloomed spices taste of themselves. Watch the garlic; just until fragrant and pale gold, no more. Burnt garlic turns the whole dish bitter.
5. Stir in the chopped tomatoes with the chicken stock — the stock breaks the tomatoes down so they taste of fruit, not tin. Let it bubble for 2–3 minutes until thickened and jammy at the edges, then bring up to a brisk boil.
6. Add the rinsed rice and stir once to settle it into the liquid — don't stir again after this, or you'll work starch out of the grains and end up with risotto. Nestle the chicken and any resting juices back on top.
7. Reduce to the lowest heat, cover tightly, and cook for 18 minutes. Pull off the heat and leave covered, undisturbed, for a further 5 minutes — the residual steam finishes the rice. Fluff with a fork, lifting the chicken through the grains. Taste, season, taste again — adjust salt and pepper now, not at the table.
8. Serve straight from the pot. Scatter the sliced spring onions over, add a swirl of soured cream and a scatter of pickled jalapeños, and finish with a shake of hot sauce. Creamy coleslaw alongside.