Cajun Comfort!

Cooking Under Quarantine is back! In this episode, we’re making Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. I first ate Jambalaya for the first (and certainly not the last!) time while visiting New Orleans. New Orleans is the kind of city that foodie dreams are made of, and I love it. In the past, I’d visit about once a year with friends and we’d spend a long weekend eating delicious cajun food, drinking, spending time at the pool, then rinse and repeat.
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So, when I thought of what to make next in this series, the choice was easy. Jambalaya is a hearty rice-based dish with meat and/or seafood, tomato, veggies and a little cajun kick. This comforting one-pot dish comes together in under an hour and is super versatile and adaptable for cooks of any level. So follow along with Chef Jon and let us know how yours turned out!

Ingredients:

• Boneless chicken breast or thighs, 1-2lb
• Andouille sausage (or another kind of smoked sausage), 4 links
• Onions, 1 big or 2 small, chopped 
• Carrots, 2, chopped 
• Bell pepper, 2 chopped 
• Scallions, 1 bunch
• Can of crushed tomatoes, 28oz can
• Tomato paste, small can
• Cajun seasoning, 2-3tbsp
• Gumbo file, 2 tsp (optional)
• Rice, 1 cup
• Chicken broth (or vegetable broth), 1-2 cups
• Garlic, 5-6 cloves
• Favorite brand of hot sauce

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil frying pan with at least a 1 inch lip, and sauté sausage for at 7-10 min until browned but not 100% cooked through
2. Remove sausage from pan and set aside for later.
3. In the sausage fat, start to sauté your veggies. Season with salt and pepper 
4. Add garlic once veggies are soft and sauté until starting to brown
5. Make a well in middle of pan by pushing veggies to the sides, and add chicken
6. Once chicken has browned, add 1-2 spoonfuls of tomato paste as well as Cajun seasoning
7. Add rice to pan and toast for a couple of minutes
8. Add crushed tomatoes and broth and give the pan a few big stirs so everything is mixed up well. Also add sausage back into the pan
9. Cover and cook for 20-25 min depending on what kind of rice you’re using — stir pan every 5-10 min but don’t mess with it too much. Add extra liquid if needed
10. Garnish with chopped scallions and add hot sauce

Enjoy y’all!