Stuffed Chicken (Cajun)

Since I've just spent two days searching the web for a Cajun stuffed chicken recipe on the strength of a recommendation from Mayhew Man, perhaps he, or another enlightened member of the group, would be so kind as to share a recipe for this "specialty" which is readily available by mail order, but strangely absent as a recipe !!!

And what is the brand name of the dried red beans, available in LA and famous for their creamy texture. I know the locals don't want outsiders to know these things, but perhaps just for those of us with special interest, an exception might be made. I'd sure appreciate it.

John

The brand of beans you are lookin for is Camellia Red Kidneys. Accept no Substitute

They are available on line at a couple of spots (I just checked), but I reccomend this one because I know the guys (business wise) and they run a pretty tight ship

http://www.cajungrocer.com/ekart/catalog.asp?action=displayCategory&cid=50

As far as the stuffed chicken goes I will post a recipe for them when I get home, but I am giving you my best advice when I tell you you are better off ordering them. While boning a chicken is easy (after a couple of times you will be an expert if you have a decent knife and all of your fingers are still well attached after your first couple of trys) and making the stuffing is easy and baking it is easy, but it is still alot of trouble. I cook everything from scratch and I am one of the few fools who has ever done a Turducken (highly overrated, don't get me started. I am not a good spokesperson for the Turducken Makers of America)from scratch and love to cook. All of that being said, we eat stuffed chickens about once a week (mostly shrimp and rice) and I pick them up at Hebert's or Poche's. Both places ship as do a number of other outlets. We kind of eat them the way other people order pizza (no time, lots to do, throw a chicken in the oven in a pan lined with heavy duty aluminum foil, eat chicken, throw away foil, clean nothing , yeeha, dinner done).
I will put up a recipe tonight.

Incidentally, if you have never boned a chicken there is a great step by step in Julia Child's French Cooking. I am pretty sure you can find a good step by step on line as well. If you have a sharp fillet knife and a couple of yardbirds to practice on....you will be impressing yourself and your family in no time. It is relly easy.

Thanks for your response, Mayhaw, and I trust that you'll forgive my next question asked in ignorance. What happens if you just stuff a bird w/o boning it? In October, we'll be passing through LA on our way back to the NW from FL. Can you recommend a place near I-12/I-10 or I-49 to stock up on supplies?

BTW, I'm envious of your wonderful stove, which I'd give my remaining chewers to cook on. As a gesture of domestic compromise, I agreed to a ceramic top to facilitate kitchen cleanup (our deal is, I cook, she cleans up!) and everytime I use that lame excuse for a cooker, I regret that deal. When we lived in Jax, FL, I almost had one, but two things were deal breakers: the cost of an exaust unit for it, and the heat it would generate in the summer. Now that I live in the sticks of the NW, zoning doesn't care and the heat wouldn't be an issue - but, ... you do what you have to do.

I envy you. jm

http://www.pochesmarket.com/poche_prod/prodsub/stchik.htm

http://www.yellowpages-ads.com/00981852

Any product from Poche's is gonna be good. It may seem kind of odd, but I highly reccomend the chicken andouille. Try it.

All of the products at both of these places is frozen as hard as a brick and both places have dry ice if you need it.

Also, you can find "Richard's" (Ree-shards) meat products in any grocery store in SOuth Louisiana. They make great pre made seafood pies, good stuffed chickens, and the best bacon (bar none. period. I am ready to fight over this) available commercially in the United States. Get some. It will ruin you for anything else.

As far as the old O'Keefe and Merritt goes, it is a wonderful thing, except as you mentioned....it gets really hot and stays that way. Fortunately (at least in this matter) I live in a very old house with 14 foot ceilings that was completely designed to deal with South La. heat, os my kitchen deals with it pretty well. But I have never regretted the money it took to rebuild the thing. It came out of a rent house and I got it for free and just swapped it for a basic Sears rental model. I found a retired guy in Baton Rouge who does O'K and M's and Chambers rebuilds and he did a great job. All of the parts are still available (although I think alot of the parts cost more than the original units themselves)and are easy to install.

quote:

Originally posted by Mayhaw Man
Also, you can find "Richard's" (Ree-shards) meat products in any grocery store in SOuth Louisiana. They make great pre made seafood pies, good stuffed chickens, and the best bacon (bar none. period. I am ready to fight over this) available commercially in the United States. Get some. It will ruin you for anything else.

Mayhaw,

They rescently started selling some of Richard's items here in MD. I have tried the shrimp etoufee & it was pretty good (I did add a bit more shrimp to stretch it) I have been wanting to try the crawfish pie but have been a little hesitent maybe I'll give it a try now.

OCdreamer,

You can't go wrong. I like it so much I went to the plant over the Labor Day weekend. Hell, I bought a T-shirt. Those pies are as close as you can come to homemade. The tasso is supreme. The bacon is (o.k., I'll get off the bacon, but it's damn good) the best. THeir 5 lb. mixed sausage pack is a little more expensive than other stuff on the shelf here, but it is so much better than other local brands (at least one's generally available) it is worth it.

You might also check out[url='http://www.belluescajuncuisine.com/pages/11/index.htm'Bellue's[/url] if you come through Baton Rouge. It's less than 5 minutes away from I-10 and you can get right back on. I'm no expert at all, but I've never had anything there that I didn't like, and their andouille is downright wonderful. I agree w/ Mayhaw Man about [url='http://www.pochesmarket.com/pages/11/index.htm']Poche's[/url] and would add that both have dining areas, though Bellue's is a tiny one.

I prefer Camellia's red beans to kidneys, though that's a minor quibble. A cajun friend told me his mother often used Blue Runner (brand) canned red beans when in a hurry; they're commonly stocked in LA grocery stores.

Oh: I completely agree with Mayhaw Man about terducken: seems a waste of wonderful ingredients, though it's useful at parties. (It's spelled this way in some places because of some unfortunate images that come to mind when it's "turducken."

Here's a direct link to [url='http://www.hebertsmeats.com']Hebert's[/url]