Made From Scratch: September/October 2021 Recipes

Today’s four prize-worthy poultry recipes in this issue come courtesy of, not one, not two, but three award-winning food bloggers and cookbook authors who call Alabama home.

First up, Prattville’s Stacy Little (southernbite.com) combines chicken, sausage and rice in a couple of hearty, crowd-pleasing stews that will have you hankering for fall. Then, in her “Made from Scratch” debut, Kathleen Phillips (gritsandgouda.com) relies on her trusted air fryer and her favorite store-bought barbecue sauce to make extra-crispy wings that the Gardendale resident promises are finger-lickin’ good.

And speaking of increasingly popular air fryers, Katrina Adams (kmariekitchen.com) of Birmingham says hers lets her have a tender, juicy Cornish hen on the table in half the time as roasting.

Weeknight Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound Cajun or andouille smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds

1 pound chicken breasts, cubed

1 large onion, chopped

1 large bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional

2 bay leaves

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon creole seasoning

2 cups converted rice*

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until the sausage has browned, about 5-8 minutes. Remove meat from skillet with a slotted spoon, leaving remaining oil in the pot. Set meat aside. Add the onions and pepper to skillet and cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Stir in garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, broth and Creole seasoning; stir in reserved browned meats. Bring to a boil and stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove bay leaves before serving.

* Stacy recommends converted, or parboiled, rice, to ensure the best texture and taste for the dish. While regular rice will work, it often yields a mushy texture.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Chicken Bog

1 (4- to 5-pound) whole chicken

2 ribs celery, washed and coarsely chopped

1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered

3 cloves garlic, pressed

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 (14-ounce) package smoked sausage, cut in 1/3-inch slices

4 cups long-grain rice, uncooked

Remove giblets from chicken if included, reserving the neck and discarding the rest. Place chicken and neck in a large stockpot, along with celery, onion and garlic. Add enough water to cover the chicken; stir in salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer but do not boil. Simmer 40-60 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken to a plate and let cool. Shred cooled chicken, discarding skin, bones and neck; set meat aside. Strain broth from the pot through a fine mesh strainer; set aside.

In a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add sausage and cook till sausage is just brown. Add 8 cups of strained broth to the pot; bring to a rolling boil, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Stir in rice and shredded chicken. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, until rice is tender and most of liquid is absorbed. Add more reserved broth, if necessary.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves: 8-10

Air Fryer Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings

2 pounds chicken wings

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 to 2/3 cup honey barbecue sauce*

If wings are whole, use a sharp knife and cut between joints into flats, drumettes and tips, discarding tips or saving to make chicken broth. Pat flats and drums dry with paper towel to ensure crispy wings. Combine paprika, garlic salt and pepper and sprinkle over both sides of chicken pieces. Preheat air fryer for three minutes, to 375 degrees. If rack is not nonstick, spray with cooking spray. Arrange wings in a single layer on rack, making sure they don’t touch; cook in two batches if necessary. Air fry 10 minutes. Turn and cook 6 more minutes, or until wings are crispy and an instant-read meat thermometer placed near bone registers 170 degrees. Brush both sides with barbecue sauce; air fry 1 additional minute. Serve with ranch dressing and carrot and celery sticks, if desired.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 16 minutes

Serves: 4-6

*Kathleen uses Sweet Baby Ray’s.

Air Fryer Cornish Hen

1 Cornish hen

Olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon pepper

2 teaspoons salt-free seasoning mix

1-2 teaspoons everything bagel seasoning

1 teaspoon paprika, regular or smoked

Salt and pepper to taste

Spray air fryer basket with nonstick spray. Wash the hen and pat dry with paper towel. Rub both sides of hen with olive oil, then sprinkle seasonings on both sides. Place hen, breast side down, in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 390 degrees for 25 minutes, flipping the hen halfway through. For crispier skin, cook an additional 5-10 minutes.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 2