Shelly's Recipe

CREOLE JAMBALAYA WITH CHICKEN, SMOKED SAUSAGE AND SHRIMP

Category: Stews

1 pound mild andouille sausage, smoked sausage or ham, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp canola oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
Kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper
1 tbsp flour
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
Palmful of dried parsley
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1/4 tsp cayenne, or to taste, optional
4 cups long grain rice
3 tbsp butter, cut into slices (can omit if using dark or mixed chicken)
1 lb raw shrimp, cleaned and deveined
Old Bay seasoning
Chopped parsley, to garnish
Hot pepper sauce, for the table

Preheat oven to 350. Cut up sausage, onion, bell pepper and garlic; set aside.

Sprinkle the whole chicken breasts with salt and pepper and brown in oil over medium to medium high heat in a large cast iron Dutch oven that has a lid. Don't overcook! Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Once cool, coarsely chop into bite sized pieces. To the Dutch oven, add the chopped sausage and cook until browned; remove and set aside.

Add additional oil as needed to bring up to a tbsp. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly until lightly browned. Do not burn! Add onion and bell pepper and saute a few minutes until softened. Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic, cooking another minute. Using kitchen shears, roughly chop the tomatoes right in the can, then carefully stir them into the veggie/roux mixture, add the Rotel tomatoes and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, thyme, basil, parsley, Cajun seasoning, white pepper, and cayenne, bring back up to a boil. Add the rice and stir in. Return to a boil. Add the chicken and sausage, dot the top with butter, stir, cover the pot and place it into the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the majority of liquid is absorbed.

Remove, stir, taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Sprinkle the shrimp lightly with Old Bay seasoning, stir the shrimp into the rice mixture and return to the oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and shrimp are cooked through. Fluff with a large serving fork.

Scoop onto plates, garnish with a bit of parsley, add a side salad or a green veggie, and pass hot pepper sauce at the table. Makes a massive amount of jambalaya. Reheat leftovers covered in the microwave.