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Renee Sheffield | Deep East Texas EC

“This creamy and slightly spicy étouffée is the ultimate comfort food on a chilly day,” Sheffield says. “We love to make it when family come in town for a visit, and it’s always better on the second day—if it lasts that long!” Serve this dish with hot steamed rice and hot sauce on the side.

1 package (3 ounces) crab boil
4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 onions, chopped
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens divided
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 bay leaves
2 cans (10 ounces each) diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 package (2.75 ounces) étouffée mix (such as Tony Chachere’s)
2 cans (10 ounces each) cream of mushroom soup
2 cans (10 ounces each) cream of chicken soup
1/8 teaspoon Creole seasoning (such as Zatarain’s)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, or crawfish tail meat
1/4 cup brown sugar

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the crab boil and chicken. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 14–16 minutes. Remove the chicken from liquid, cool, then shred the meat, discarding bones and skin.

2. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet, and sauté the onion, scallion whites, bell pepper, celery, garlic and bay leaves until the vegetables have softened. Add the tomatoes and chiles, and simmer for a few minutes.

3. Add the étouffée mix, soups, Creole seasoning and parsley. Stir and simmer 20 minutes. Add the shrimp or crawfish and reserved chicken, and cook an additional 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

4. Stir in brown sugar and the green tops of the scallions and serve over steamed rice.

Serves 4–6.

Cook’s Tip

For added flavor, allow the chicken thighs to cool in the crab boil liquid 10–15 minutes.