Chicken Sauce Picante... Read below for the recipe
I am often asked during hunting season for my favorite recipe to cook game meats. There are many ways to cook and prep game and fowl. But one recipe that suits them all is a Sauce Picante.
"Sauce Picante, pronounced sauce pee-kaw, is a spiced roux, stock, and tomato-based sauce."
Sauce Picante, pronounced "sauce pee-kaw", is a spiced roux, stock, and tomato-based sauce. Add meat and wine to the sauce then simmer to stick-to-your-ribs goodness. Any meat can be used in this recipe. I have had it with alligator, venison, turtle, and duck. Shrimp, catfish, chicken, beef, or sausage can be used as well.
This traditional Cajun dish is not as widely known as gumbo or jambalaya. However, it is one of my all-time favorite sauces. The trick to this dish is being patient with the roux. It is essential to continue stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot after adding the flour to the oil. This will ensure that the roux is cooked evenly without burning it.
I also find that prepping and chopping all the ingredients for this dish before firing up the stove saves time and makes the cooking process more enjoyable.
Using game may require more steps. I soak cleaned wildfowl in a lemon juice and water mixture overnight to mellow the wild flavor. Fattier meats should be boiled for 5 minutes or so before starting the recipe to remove the excess fat. Nilgai, duck, and alligator are meats that should be boiled before browning.
Simmer tough meats in a Sauce Picante for at least two hours. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply stir in more stock or water to thin the sauce to the desired consistency.
When using seafood, use a fish or shrimp stock instead of chicken stock. Blush wine is also a better choice for seafood than red wine. Fish and cleaned shellfish meat are added in the last ten to twenty minutes of cook time depending on the size of the pieces and the delicateness of the meat.
A great starter recipe to learn on is my Chicken Sauce Picante recipe. My family and neighbors love this dish. This is a scrumptious recipe and can be easily modified. This sauce will be a hit no matter what else you throw in the pot.
Chicken Sauce Picante
3-4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 small bell pepper, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
1 bunch green onion, chopped and separated
1 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock, warmed
1 cup red wine
8 oz. can tomato sauce
10 oz. can Rotel diced tomatoes with chilies
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, smashed
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
2 -3 tsp. Cajun seasoning or to taste
Trim the fat off the chicken thighs and cut to bite-size pieces. Heat oil in a cast-iron Dutch oven over high heat. Add chicken to the oil and cook stirring until chicken is browned. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon or handled strainer reserving the oil in the pot. Add white onion, green onion tops, and bell pepper to the oil. Cook stirring until vegetables are softened. Remove vegetables reserving the oil in the pot. Add flour to the reserved oil and lower heat to medium-high to make a roux. Cook stirring constantly until the flour oil mixture turns a dark reddish-brown. This can take up to thirty minutes. Slowly stir in chicken stock and red wine into the roux until smooth. Stir in tomato sauce, Rotel, bay leaf, garlic, mushrooms, and Cajun seasoning. Return chicken and vegetables to the pot. Lower heat to a simmer and cover. Stir every 10 to 15 minutes to prevent the roux from settling to the bottom of the pot. Allow to simmer for 1 to ½ hours. Serve over steamed white rice. Garnish with remaining green onion or parsley.
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