Monday's meal

Now, I love myself some food and the following is probably my most favorite comfort food meal. I make mine in my treasured Le Creuset fryer and the sight of all that deliciousness brings a smile to my face every time. I always find myself licking my fingers and scrapping the plate...it's that good. Just try it and see. Oh by the way, in classic southern style is should be served over rice with some biscuits on the side. If you have some collard greens too...well you're golden!

Smothered Chicken

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups finely chopped onions (I like white, but yellow are good too)
1 cup finely chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Dredge in flour, place in the skillet, and brown on all sides (note that chicken will not be fully cooked at this time). Set chicken aside, and drain skillet, reserving about 1 tablespoon oil.
Reduce skillet heat to medium-low, and stir in onions, celery, garlic. Cook about 5 minutes, until tender. Stir in the flour, and cook 5 minutes more. Pour in the chicken broth, season with cayenne pepper, paprika, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil for approximately 1-2 minutes and reduce heat to low. Place chicken in the skillet, cover, and continue cooking for 30 minutes, until chicken juices run clear and gravy has thickened.