Cookin' ATVS Style: Creole chicken & sausage with black beans

We've been a little crock-pot heavy early on through this offseason, but with good reason. The recipes are usually pretty easy for workin' folks, and the meals are usually good and hearty for the cold weather this time of year.

That said, when it comes to anything we think of as unique to Louisiana, the pickings can be kind of slim unless you're smothering roast beef. Some people like to do red beans in a crock pot, but I'd worry about the consistency. Still, I'm always on the lookout, so when this list popped up on my Facebook feed, I zeroed in on this particular chicken and sausage recipe, because there was a variety of ingredients that interested me.

The blogger in question is Lindsay, from Minnesota, and her recipe additions kind of create a stew flavor with the nuttiness of having a good dark roux without the work of making it all yourself, so again, convenience. It really did come out pretty nice with a little addition on my part, and it would be something you could make your own pretty easily if you wish.

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
14 ounces smoked sausge or Andouille, diced
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves minced garlic
1 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 tbsp almond butter
1/2 cup worcestshire sauce

rice to serve

Note: I played with the proportions a little bit from the original recipe based on what I had on hand, but again, this is something that's really easy to play with if you're so inclined.

Instructions

One of the great things about crock pot recipes with chicken breasts is that depending on the level of liquid you want in your dish, you can just throw frozen ones in there and they'll still cook down fine enough. Sometimes, I like to thaw them out a little bit just to save a little water because I like my stews on the thicker side. But keep in mind that you're going to shred the chicken later, which will naturally thicken all this up.

But basically, you just add all your ingredients to the pot, set on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-5, depending on how much time you have, and let it be. In the final hour or so you'll want to shred the chicken with some forks, either in the pot or by taking them out and doing it on a cutting board. The combination of brown sugar and the almond butter kind of give you that nutty, roasted flavor you'd get with a roux without the time spent having to make it. This will serve 4-6 comfortably with some steamed rice.