Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya

One thing I loved while in New Orleans was the jambalaya. Oh wow, did that have some great flavors!! Here is a great recipe to closely duplicate what I was able to enjoy in the South:

Photo bypickwhen

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 pound Cajun or andouille smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4" rounds
• 1 pound rotisserie chicken, skin removed and cut into cubes
• 2 cups diced white onion
• 1 1/2 cups diced bell peppers (I like the red/yellow/green mix)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1, 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1, 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups medium grain rice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Start with heating the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring frequently until the sausage has browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the chicken and cook for 1 minute.

Spoon the meat out of the Dutch oven with a slotted spoon, leaving the remaining oil in the pot and put the meat aside.

Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, bay leaves, broth, Creole seasoning, and cayenne pepper to the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil.

Stir in the uncooked rice and return the chicken and sausage to the Dutch oven. Cover and reduce the heat and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Season to taste, top with chopped parsley if desired, and enjoy!

* Notes:

Make sure to rinse your rice before cooking. This will help it to be more "fluffy" and less likely to have a mushy texture.

Be gentle when stirring this dish while it cooks. You don't want the rice to get mushy by too much stirring. However, you'll want to make sure that nothing is getting stuck and burning on the bottom.

You are welcome to add or sub out shrimp as well. However, I would recommend to lightly season with creole seasoning and cook in frying pan with a little oil, then add to your rice just before serving.