Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Chicken and sausage jambalaya doesn't make for the greatest picture, but the flavor of the dish more than makes up for its less than stellar appearance. This is great-tasting comfort food. I was inspired to make this when I came across a package of gluten-free, corn-free, soy-free, and dairy-free Andouille smoked sausage at our local Shaw's grocery store. The sausage makes the dish, so if you can't find Andouille sausage, wait until you can before making the jambalaya. I hunted around on the internet until I found this recipe off of which to base my version. Both of the girls really like the jambalaya and don't find it too spicy, even though Michael says it makes his head sweat a bit. And Naomi does ask for extra water to drink with the meal.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
serves 2 adults and 2 children for 2 meals; OR serves 4 to 6 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 medium stalks of celery
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne powder
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts that are organic or kosher.
• 2 cups Imagine Organic chicken broth OR Trader Joe's Organic free-range chicken broth
• 1 1/2 liquid cups (which is about 13.5 oz.) pureed tomatoes. Try to use tomatoes without citric acid, such as Pomi strained tomatoes.
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
• 6 oz. (half the package) of Aidells Cajun Style Andouille smoked pork sausage
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Instructions:

Place a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Finely chop the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Add the canola oil to the pot and let it heat up until it starts shimmering. Then add the vegetables and saute until softened.

While the vegetables are sauteing, measure out the paprika, black pepper, sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper into a small bowl. Thoroughly rinse the chicken breasts and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. When the vegetables are soft, add the minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Then add the spices and stir for 30 seconds. Increase the heat to medium-heat, add the chicken and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the outside of the chicken cubes has cooked and is no longer pink. Then add the chicken broth, tomato puree, dried thyme, dried oregano, and brown sugar to the pot and stir.

While the liquid is coming to a simmer, cut the sausages in half length-wise and then cut them into 1/4-inch pieces width-wise. Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water. When the liquid in the pot has come to a simmer, stir in the rice, sausage pieces, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer again. Then reduce the heat to medium-low or low, cover the pot, and let gently simmer for 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Stir the contents of the pot once every 10 minutes to make sure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom. After about 30 minutes, take the pot off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and add salt to taste, about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.