New Orleans Style Chicken

This chicken dish takes advantage of the "trinity" of New Orleans ingredients: peppers, onions and celery.

New Orleans Style Chicken
Ingredients You Will Need:
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 chickens, cut into 8 pieces each, wing tips trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 red bell peppers, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
4 cups sliced okra, fresh or frozen
1 can plum tomatoes, drained (reserve tomato juices)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Cooked white rice (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine dry mustard, sweet paprika, salt, pepper, allspice and cayenne in a small bowl, and rub into chicken pieces. Place chicken in a shallow baking pan, and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside. Place oil in a large, heavy pot. Add celery, onions, red and green peppers and garlic; cook over low heat, stirring, for 10 minutes. Raise heat to medium, add okra and cook, stirring, an additional 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme and bay leaf. Add chicken and any pan juices to the pot. Cover with reserved tomato juices, making sure that all the chicken pieces are covered in liquid.

Simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons parsley. Cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes longer. If dish begins to boil, reduce heat. Adjust seasonings to taste. Garnish with remaining parsley. If desired, serve hot over cooked rice.