Chicken Purloo

Recipe courtesy of chef Robert Stehling, Hominy Grill

Ingredients

- ½ cup ham, cubed

- 1 chicken, cut into pieces

- 2 tablespoons bacon fat

- 2 cup onion, diced

- 1 cup celery, diced

- 1 cup green bell pepper, diced

- 1 cup red bell pepper, diced

- 2 tablespoon garlic, chopped

- 1 cup eggplant, skinned and diced

- 2 cup long grain white rice

- ¼ cup red wine

- 2 cup chicken stock

- 2 ½ cup crushed whole tomatoes

- ½ teaspoon basil leaf, dry

- ½ teaspoon thyme, dry

- 1 teaspoon salt

- ¼ teaspoon black pepper

- 2 bay leaves

- 2 cups okra sliced

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2) In large sauté pan, brown all the chicken and reserve.

3) In the same pan as the chicken was cooked in, sweat onion, celery and peppers in bacon fat until vegetables are tender.

4) Add garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes.

5) Add eggplant and cook until tender. 

6) Layer vegetables on bottom of a casserole pan. 

7) Sauté rice in peanut oil until lightly golden brown and layer on top of the veggies in casserole pan.

8) In a saucepan, reduce wine to syrup, add stock and ½ crushed whole tomato with dry spices.

9) Bring to a boil and gently pour over rice.

10) Sauté okra in peanut oil until brown and add the remainder of tomatoes to deglaze pan.

11) Add to casserole and place chicken pieces on top and cover lightly with foil.

12) Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.