Chicken Etouffee - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Chicken Stock for Etouffee
1/2 lb chicken backs or 1/2 lb chicken neck
3 cups cold water
1/2 medium onion, unpeeled
1 garlic clove, unpeeled and cut in thirds
1 stalk celery, with top
1 bay leaf
Flour Coating
10 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper
Fried Chicken
3 lbs chicken pieces
salt
garlic powder
ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
vegetable oil (for deep frying)
Seasoning Mix
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
Roux and Gravy
6 tablespoons flour, using reserved extra flour coating
1 3/4 cups chicken stock, for etouffee
Finish
4 -6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, to your taste
6 tablespoons very finely chopped green onions
chicken stock, as needed
2 cups hot cooked rice

Preparation

Chicken Stock for Etouffee: Put chicken in water and bring to boil; add vegetables and bay leaf; simmer on low heat for 1-2 hours; replenish water as needed to keep 2 3/4 cups of liquid in the pot; strain and use immediately or refrigerate.
Flour Coating: Combine all ingredients in a plastic bag.
Fried Chicken: Generously rub all the chicken pieces with the seasonings; set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes; heat 1 1/2\" oil to 375\u00b0F in a cast iron skillet; add chicken to flour coating and shake to coat thoroughly; reserve any excess flour.
Fry chicken until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes per side; drain on paper towels and set aside; pour oil from skillet, retaining, and scraping loose, any browned bits, and 1/4 cup of the oil in the skillet.
Seasoning Mix: In a small bowl thoroughly combine all dry ingredients; set aside; combine chopped vegetables in separate bowl and set aside.
Roux: Heat the oil over high heat in a large, heavy skillet until it begins to smoke, about 5 minutes; remove from heat; use a LONG handled whisk and gradually mix in flour; reduce heat to medium-high; return skillet to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until roux is dark red-brown, 3-5 minutes; don't let roux scorch and DON'T get it on your skin!
Remove from heat and stir in HALF the combined vegetables; stir for 3 minutes while the roux cools down; set aside.
Gravy: Bring the stock to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan; gradually whisk in roux and stir until incorporated; bring mixture to a rolling boil; reduce heat to low; continue stirring and simmer another 15 minutes; gravy should be very thick; set aside.
Finish: In a large skillet, melt 2-3 T butter over very low heat; stir in remaining chopped vegetables and saute 10-12 minutes, until completely wilted stirring occasionally; add the reserved gravy and the dry Seasoning Mix; simmer another 15 minutes and stir often.
In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the remaining 2-3 T butter; saute the green onions 2 minutes; add the chicken and gravy and bring to a boil over medium heat; remove from heat and set aside for 15 minutes.
Skim oil off surface of etouffee; reheat, adding more stock if needed to thin the gravy; for each plate place 1/2 cup rice, pour on 1/3 cup sauce, and top with 2 pieces of chicken; serve immediately.