Have you ever tried making jambalaya? It's not as difficult as you think! This dish is flavor-packed and can provide plenty of leftovers.
This recipe was found in Cook's Country's June/July 2019 magazine issue – the same issue that brought us the hot sesame noodles with pork recipe you can check out here.
The chicken thighs we buy at HEB are double the amount needed for the recipe, but we haven't noticed a difference in the way it cooks or mixes with the rest of the ingredients. The package of andouille we buy is also more than what the recipe requires (a 12 oz package, rather than the 8 oz needed), but it also doesn't make much of a difference. We prefer to have more protein in a meal anyway.
I'd also pay attention of the amount of liquid that can be released by the chicken. Leave some liquid in the pan so the rice can soak up all of the flavor, don't try to cook all of the liquid out.
What you need
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP tomato paste
1 TBSP ketchup
2 TSP Louisiana seasoning, divided
1.5 cup long-grain white rice
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
8 oz chicken andouille sausage
1 green bell pepper
4 scallions
Directions
1) Trim the fat off the chicken thighs and discard. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and set aside in a large bowl. Slice the andouille sausage into 1/4 inch pieces and place in the bowl with the chicken.
2) Seed and chop the green bell pepper and place in the bowl with the meat. Thinly slice the scallions, keeping the whites and greens separated. Add the scallion whites to the bowl with the meat and place the greens in a small bowl.
3) Combine the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, and 1/2 teaspoon Louisiana seasoning in another bowl and set aside.
4) Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain rice in fine-mesh strainer and rinse. Set aside.
5) Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken, andouille, bell pepper, scallion whites, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons Louisiana seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and beginning to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
If there is still some liquid in the pan, leave it. The liquid will allow the rice to soak up the flavor and prevent dry andouille and disintegrated bell pepper.
6) Add the rice and Worcestershire mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is heated through and fully combined, about 5 minutes. Stir in scallion greens and serve.
Makes 7 servings.
Nutrition facts per serving
Calories: 554
Total fat: 29.1g
Saturated fat: 7.6g
Cholesterol: 178.8mg
Sodium: 892.2mg
Total carbohydrates: 34.5g
Dietary fiber: 1.6g
Sugars: 1.8g
Protein: 35g
Calcium: 1.7%
Iron: 8.2%
Potassium: 403.2mg
Vitamin A: 8.2%
Vitamin C: 15.8%