Cajun Style Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Good things do come out of leftover food. I have chicken breasts left over but untouched from my little birthday dinner and a lone and lonely Andouile sausage sitting in the fridge and right away I thought of Jambalaya. Cajun style it and I can get rid of my chicken breasts and sausage and a delicious rice dish is in the offing. I used some of my Calasparra rice and mixed it with jasmine. I know I’m supposed to use long grain but I’m not big on long g’s- I love medium grain, Cal-Rose, Korean rice, Japanese rice- the likes. I think I talked about it in an earlier post “My kind of rice”.

This dish is super simple with very simple ingredients but putting them all together in the right amount and the proper way makes it special. I cooked the meat and vegetables separately and set them aside before I cooked the rice. I want to retain a little color and crunch in the celery to make it vibrant when I plate it. That’s another fetish of mine. I love my veggies still a vibrant green, red or orange in my food and I just can’t stand overcooked and soggy vegetables. So here's how I made my easy Jambalaya :-)

Ingredients:

1 Andouille or any smoked sausage, sliced
2 chicken breasts, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
chicken stock
3 cups rice
thyme, parsley
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
olive oil
green onion, chopped

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pot
Brown sliced sausage then transfer to a bowl when done.
Add chicken and paprika in the same pot and brown as well
Transfer to the bowl with the sausages and set aside
Sauté the onion and garlic in the same pot
Add the celery, bell pepper, ground pepper and cayenne pepper
Allow to sweat for a minute before adding the meat
Wait 2-3 minutes more before stirring gently
Cook for a minute and remove from the pot
In the same pot, add the rice and let toast for a little
Add Cajun seasoning, thyme and parsley and stir
Add chicken broth and put the lid on.
Cook for 15-20 mins or until broth is absorbed
Add the meat and veggies and mix gently
Serve hot with chopped green onion