Credit: Esquire Magazine & Sarah O'Kelley
INGREDIENTS:
1 stick plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 lbs diced andouille or other smoked, ready-to-eat sausage (about 7 cups)
3 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 ½ medium onions)
2 cups chopped celery (about 5 ribs)
2 cups chopped green bell pepper (about 2 medium peppers)
1 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves)
4-lb roasted chicken, skin and fat discarded, meat pulled (about 5 cups)
1 qt chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
8 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp hot sauce (or less if desired)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp ground coriander
4 cups Uncle Ben's Original converted parboiled rice, or other parboiled rice
1 bunch scallions, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and start chopping.
In a large pot — at least 8 quarts with a tightly fitting lid — melt butter until foamy over medium-high heat. Add andouille and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
Add onions, celery, bell peppers, salt, and pepper and cook until onions are translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add pulled chicken, chicken stock, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, hot sauce, Worcestershire, and coriander. Stir to combine. When liquid comes to a simmer, add rice, cover, and transfer pot to preheated oven. Cook until rice has absorbed all of the liquid and is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. (The rice should be moist but not wet with excess liquid.) Do not remove lid before 30 minutes to check — quickly — for doneness, as you will interrupt the steaming process. (Note: Cooking any grain is about steam. The cooking time here depends on your pot's ability to retain heat and the lid's ability to trap steam.)
Remove from oven. Discard bundle of thyme and bay leaves. Add scallions and stir to thoroughly combine. Salt to taste.
Serve in bowls, passing extra hot sauce on the side. (Note: There is always carryover cooking with rice, so if you're not serving immediately, transfer to a large platter or bowl.) Serves 10 to 12.
