Chicken Etoufee

If you are from Indianapolis or have travelled here, I highly suggestion going to visit a cajun place called Yats. There are now four locations: Fishers (north), Greenwod (south), Downtown and Broad Ripple (the original). They have the most amazing Chili Cheese Etoufee you have ever feasted upon in your entire life! Nothing really compares so it's hard to start from scratch. I had to start somewhere so I searched a few websites and found a recipe on Tasty Kitchen that looked like it had the same color and consistency.

As I said before, nothing compares to Yats. But I can always try again.

This was a great place to start. It wasn't the best, but who can be the best on their first try? Certainly not me .. a rookie in the kitch. Well, this was a fantastic recipe to start with. I think it had too much chicken soup and not enough cheese for my taste so next time I might add some cheese soups in place of those. Also, I might try to add some different spices to see how that goes. The spices were okay but not quite right.

Etoufee also goes well with white rice (although I almost always make brown). Please, please use crawfish if you can find it. I used chicken and I just don't like the texture of the shredded chicken compared to the crawfish. It's times like these I wish I lived near the coast.. any coast.

Chicken Etoufee

Adapted from: Tasty Kitchen

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or cooked crawfish)

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cans cream of chicken soup

3 cans water

1 cup diced green bell pepper

1 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 cup green onions, to taste

Boil chicken in large stock pot with water and a little chicken broth on high, then reduce head to medium-low to simmer for 20-30 minutes until cooked thoroughly. When done, shred chicken with a fork and set aside.

Then, heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and onions and saute until translucent. Add cans of soup, water, and shredded chicken to the pan. Mix well and then add seasonings. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 15 minutes to thicken. Serve on a bed of white rice and with a side of cheesy garlic bread.