My Daddy's Jambalaya

When I was engaged and still living at home my father took me under his wing in the kitchen and made sure I knew how to make some tasty meals before I got married. Now, my Daddy is from the South, so this was a good, good thing. My favorite dish he taught me was how to make Jambalaya. I've tweaked it here and there over the years and made it my own, but because he taught me how to make it all those many years ago, it will always be "My Daddy's Jambalaya."

MY DADDY'S JAMBALAYA

Ingredients:
- 2 large chicken breasts, chopped
- 1 lb. chub of Italian sausage
- Cajun seasoning
- 3 cups short grain rice
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
- 2 c. celery, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes

Directions (to be made in large pot / dutch oven):
- Generously cover the meat in Cajun seasoning (depending on how spicy you want it)
- Brown the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it into large chunks
- Add chicken when sausage is partially browned and continue to brown both
- Remove the meat (I scoop it out with a wire spatula like this.) and set aside
- Add the onions and celery to the pan and cook on high heat until onions begin to look translucent
- Add garlic and tomatoes and give everything a good stir
- Add the rice and liquid, again mixing well
- Add the meat back in
- Cook on high heat until the pot starts to bubble, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- For a spicy kick, sprinkle with Crystal's Louisiana Hot Sauce

Step-by-Step:

1. Brown the sausage, breaking it up into large chunks. (I used to use links, but my family prefers the way the sausage is more present throughout the dish when we use ground meat.)

2. Add the chicken when the sausage is partially browned, and finish browning them both together. At this point you might need to add a splash of cooking oil if the sausage didn't leave enough fat in the bottom of the pan.

3. Remove the meat with a tool like this and set aside in a bowl (forgot to take a picture of that step!)

4. Add the onions and celery to the pot and stir-fry them in the fat left behind from the meat until the onions start to look translucent, then add the garlic (fresh or from a jar).

5. Dump in the can of diced tomatoes.

6. Add the rice.

7. Add the meat back to the pot.

8. Pour in your broth (you can also use a mix of broth and water. I usually use one of these boxes which yields about 4 cups, then I add another 1 1/2 cups of water since the tomatoes add some liquid of their own).

 

9. I forgot to season the meat with the Cajun spices, so I am adding them late in the process, but this batch came out really well, so I don't think it mattered too much. (If you can't find Cajun seasonings, you can make your own by mixing 1 Tbsp. garlic powder, 1 Tbsp. onion powder, 2-3 Tbsp. seasoning salt, and salt/pepper/cayenne pepper to taste.)

10. This is what the yummy mixture looks like while it is waiting to boil. (It looks a lot like gumbo at this point!)

 

 

11. Our finished product.

Every night after dinner my husband gives me a kiss and says something like, "Thank you honey, it was really good." This one got me two kisses tonight! ;)

I hope you and your family enjoy it in good health.