Chicken and Sausage Maque Choux

Ingredients

• 0.5 teaspoon cayenne to taste
• 1 large rib celery sliced
• 0.8 pound cherry tomatoes halved ()
• 3 pounds chicken thighs with skin, excess fat trimmed
• 6 servings accompaniment: crusty bread 
• 6  ears corn 
• 0.3 cup basil fresh chopped
• 1  bell pepper green chopped
• 0.5 pound mild sausage links to package directions and coin italian hot cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 tablespoon oil 
• 3 medium onions chopped
• 1  bell pepper red chopped
• 2  thyme sprigs fresh

Equipment

• bowl
• knife
• pot

Directions

1. Cut kernels off cobs and, working over a large bowl, scrape cobs with knife to extract all juices. Discard cobs. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a heavy 8-qt. pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown sausage, transferring to a plate. Brown chicken in batches, transferring to another plate.
3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot, then sauté onions, bell peppers, celery, thyme, cayenne, and salt to taste over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes.
4. Add corn with juices and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and sausage.
5. Nestle chicken into mixture and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. If the maque choux is soupier than you like, simmer uncovered until juices are reduced. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.