Cajun Chicken, Sausage & Corn Stew

Step 1: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Step 2: Working with one ear of corn at a time, stand the corn on end inside a large bowl -use a paring knife to cut the kernels off the cob-using the back of a butter knife, scrape any remaining pulp off the cob and into the bowl- discard the cobs.

Step 3: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper - Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking- Add half of the chicken and brown on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes, reducing the heat if the pot begins to scorch -Transfer the chicken to a medium bowl- Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the remaining chicken; ­transfer to the bowl -When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin.

Step 4: Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat left in the pot- Add the kielbasa and cook over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes- Stir in the peppers, onions, celery, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes - Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds- Stir in the corn, scraping up any browned bits- Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer.

Step 5: Add the chicken with any accumulated juices and the bay leaves and bring to a simmer - Cover, place the pot in the oven, and cook until the chicken is very tender but not quite falling off the bone, about 1 1/4 hours.

Step 6: Remove the pot from the oven, transfer the chicken to a cutting board, and remove the bay leaves- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and shred into large pieces; discard the bones.

Step 7: If the sauce is too thin, continue to simmer the stew over medium-high heat as needed to thicken-Off the heat, stir in the shredded chicken, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes- Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.