Not quite jambalaya
As a southern girl one of my favorite dishes was jambalaya. I could never duplicate my maw-maws jambalaya because it tasted like nothing else out there. It was just her own. But being the cook that I think I am I always try to figure out recipes and even make up a few of my own as I go. I was throwing one of my usual get-togethers I wanted to cook a one dish meal to feed a lot of people on a budget and proudly presented to my friends my ‘jambalaya’. While everyone said the food was on point, my friend, the other throw down cook of the group said, “Girl, this is some great red rice, but it’s not quite jambalaya…” damn! Once I read a few traditional recipes of how to make the real deal I saw where I went wrong but this is still one of my faves and I think you’ll enjoy it too.
2 boneless chicken breasts cut into pieces
1 small onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
2 minced cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s or other Creole seasoning, little more if you like it hot!
1 package smoked sausage sliced
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups rice
Cook rice according to package directions. Season chicken with the Creole spices. In a large separate pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in chicken and stir every minute until brown. Add the vegetables, and sausage to pot. *Heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked and onions, peppers and garlic are soft and begin to stick to pot. Pour in diced tomatoes to deglaze the bottom of pot. Stir in tomato sauce and lower heat to medium. Let simmer for about five minutes. Add in sugar and reduce heat to low. Once the rice is complete, stir in rice one spoon at a time until all rice is mixed in. if the dish seems a little dry, stir in a quarter cup hot water or chicken broth.
* If desired, a quarter pound of raw shrimp can be added to dish after vegetables and sausage begin to sweat.
