Jambalaya

There is something about being away from home, in our case a whole week, and being forced to eat out all of your meals in a restaurant that makes you appreciate being able to cook for yourself in your own kitchen!  After a week in Tampa and spending a fortune in restaurants, I have been happily cooking dinner (you can throw in some lunches and breakfasts too) every day since we got home.  Tonight I made Jambalaya with the leftover chicken that I roasted the night before.  Not sure how long this home cooking binge is going to last but it’s making my family happy!

This is a great recipe for using up leftovers but I have often picked up a rotisserie chicken for this recipe.  I also like to toss in leftover Ham that I usually keep in my freezer.  Grab a green or red pepper, some celery and onion along with some rice and chicken broth from the pantry and you are in business.    The original recipe calls for smoked sausage, which is delicious, but usually I use left over ham like I did tonight.

Jambalaya

Ingredients:

16 oz. smoked sausage cut into 1/4 inch slices   (I often use leftover cooked ham.)

2 celery ribs, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium green bell pepper, diced (I have use red pepper before and it’s just as delicious.)

4 cups cooked chicken

1 (32oz) container chicken broth

1 1/4 cups uncooked long-grain rice

1 Tablespoon Cajun/Creole Seasoning (  I like Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning)

Fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Tony Chachere’s will give you just the right amount of heat and that spicy cajun/creole flavor you are looking for.

    

I like to dice my onions, green peppers, and celery real fine…so that they cook nicely.

    

Stir in all the ingredients and then add the chicken broth.  Cover and let it do it’s thing!

Directions:

Cook the  smoked sausage in  a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes or until browned. 

Add celery, onion, and bell pepper, and saute 6 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 

Stir in chicken.  Add the chicken broth, the rice, and the Cajun/Creole Seasoning and stir together to mix it well.  Cover and reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until the rice is done and the liquid is absorbed.  Remove rom the heat and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. 

Garnish with fresh chopped parley if desired. 

Makes 6 to 8 servings.