Preheat oven to 400˚F. Bring 1 quart water to boil in a medium saucepan.

Blanch the tomatoes in the water about 1 minute, just until the skin breaks. Remove the hot tomatoes from the water and drain. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes, then pull off the skin and discard skin. Seed and coarsely dice the tomatoes, set them aside.

Rinse the chicken pieces and dry them thoroughly. Season the chicken generously with salt and black pepper and bake on a rimmed baking sheet for approximately 30 minutes, until golden brown, turning the pieces after 15 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, begin making the Creole sauce. Melt the butter in a large stockpot over high heat. Add the celery, bell peppers, onion, and tomatoes and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are nearly dissolved and the vegetables begin to caramelize. Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomato paste, bay leaf,  2 teaspoons of salt, the  cayenne pepper, and paprika. Allow the mixture to simmer for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock, raise the heat to medium-high, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes or until the sauce is lightly thickened.

Remove the chicken from the oven and add the pieces to the pot of Creole sauce. Simmer the chicken and sauce together for 5 minutes.

Serve the chicken Creole with steamed white rice and garnish with parsley.