Prepare the vegetables

• Dice the bell peppers and the onion.
• Set the vegetables aside.

Season the chicken

• Place the cleaned chicken thighs in a bowl.
• Add the oil, garlic, smoked paprika, Cajun seasoning and black pepper.
• Mix until every piece is well coated in seasoning.

Sear the chicken

• Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
• Sear the chicken on both sides until golden.
• Remove the chicken and set it aside with its juices; it does not need to be fully cooked.

Cook down the vegetables

• Add the vegetables to the same pan and cook down for a while.
• Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
• Whenever burnt bits form, pour in a little water, stir and repeat until the vegetables are very soft and mushy.

Return the chicken and build the gravy

• Add the chicken and its juices back to the pan.
• Cover with water up to the top of the chicken.
• Boil until the water has almost evaporated, then add more water, scrape up the burnt bits and repeat three to four times until a dark gravy forms.

Shred the chicken

• As the chicken cooks, mash and break it up with a spatula.
• Let it keep falling apart until fully shredded.

Final simmer

• Add a little more water for the last round.
• Season again with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
• Simmer on medium-low until the gravy reaches the desired consistency.

Serve

• Serve the chicken and gravy over chunky mashed potatoes or rice, with the vegetables on the side.