Chicken Fricassee

• 4 to 6 boneless chicken thighs
• Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning^®
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 to 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-1/2 Tbs flour
• 2 cups water
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 4 to 6 ounces green vegetables (asparagus, broccoli, green beans, green peas, etc.)
• Italian seasoning
• Garlic powder
• salt
• black pepper

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep cast iron skillet, dutch oven or sauté pan. Add 1 tsp creole seasoning to the flour in a shallow bowl and mix well.

Pat the chicken thighs dry and season with the creole seasoning. Dredge the seasoned chicken thighs in the seasoned flour, then fry them in the hot oil for 4-5 minutes per side.

Remove the chicken from the skillet and pour out the vegetable oil. Add the olive oil to the skillet and sauté the onion, garlic, celery, mushrooms and bay leaves together until soft.

Add 2-1/2 Tbs flour to the skillet and continue heating, stirring constantly, until the flour is lightly browned. Add the water and stir well to mix and avoid lumps. Continue heating over medium heat until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. You can add more of the creole seasoning if you like instead of or in addition to the other spices.

Put the chicken thighs back into the skillet, along with the carrots. You can add the green vegetables now, or reserve them until the last five minutes if you prefer them to have a crisper texture.

Cover the skillet and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve alone or over rice, egg noodles, linguine, fetuccine, macaroni, mashed potatoes - or use your imagination!