Frank Davis's Back-A-Town Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons margarine
• 3 large onions, thick sliced
• 1 large frying chicken, cut in pieces, washed and skinned
• 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning (many clones on Zaar)
• 2 teaspoons sweet basil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (or sea salt)
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced (can sub smoked sausage)
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, halved
• 3 carrots, peeled and chunked
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1/2 cup green onion, thick sliced
• 1/2 small bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 cups cream of chicken soup

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven 350 degrees.

2. 2

   In a heavy cast iron Dutch oven, melt the margarine over high heat until it sizzles and fry the sliced onions (stirring constantly) for about 10 minutes until they carmelize to a dark brown.

3. 3

   While the onions are cooking, sprinkle each piece thoroughly with Cajun seasoning, basil, salt, and black and cayenne pepper.

4. 4

   Next, remove all but a thin layer of caramelized onions from the Dutch oven and set aside. A little at a time, alternating as you go, start adding to the Dutch oven the chicken and all of the remaining ingredients (including the browned onions—but not the soup). Note: Do not put any liquid in the pot! It will make it’s own liquid.

5. 5

   Put the lid on the Dutch oven and bake, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken starts to fall off the bone.

6. 6

   Remove the chicken from the Dutch oven, place it on a serving platter, and stir the cream of chicken soup into the “pot liquor”.

7. 7

   Simmer the gravy until it is hot and bubbly and ladle it over the chicken.

8. 8

   Serve with either baked potatoes, mashed potatoes or rice.