Week 10: NE Patriots vs. New Orleans Saints- Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

When I first starting looking over the Patriots schedule in regards to the food I'd be cooking, we were most excited for when they'd be playing the Saints. Too bad it was such a lousy game for New England. We did have a very tasty dinner though!

I'm sure Jambalaya might be an ordinary choice considering all of the amazing food New Orleans has to offer. I'm still having aversion issues with seafood, and I had my elderly grandmother staying with us and had to keep in mind what she could eat. There are so many recipes and variations of jambalaya out there, but I decided upon one made with chicken and sausage.

I was first looking at Cajun/Creole recipe sites, but most of those have pretty strict rules about reposting recipes. The one I decided on was from allrecipes, and I did make a few minor adjustments to it. It was really good, with a rich tomato taste that I love, but both Sage and I decided we weren't crazy about anduille sausage. I used it because it was more authentic, but we both prefer the turkey smoked sausage that I've used in jambalayas in the past. I had to keep mine less spicy due to sensitive tongues, but served it with extra hot sauce at the table.

adapted from allrecipes, serves 5-6

2 tbsp olive oil

cajun (or creole) seasoning (I used Tony Chachere's)

3 links (12 oz.) andouille sausage (or either regular or turkey smoked sausage)

3/4 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped (It should be a green one, but I only had red)

2 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can of diced (or crushed) tomatoes

1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste (can reduce if you're not into such a rich tomato base)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (or to taste)

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce (I omitted and served tableside)

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 cup chicken stock or broth (original recipe calls for broth, but stock seems to be more authentic)

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Saute sausage until browned. Remove with slotted spoon, and set aside. Season chicken pieces with Cajun/creole seasoning. Add remaining oil, and saute chicken pieces until lightly browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

In the same pot, saute onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic until tender. Stir in tomatoes and paste, and season with red pepper, black pepper, salt, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce and parsely. Stir in chicken and sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the rice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed. (My rice took over 30 minutes to become ready.)