Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

If you haven't noticed already from previous posts, I love Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I have been impressed with most every recipe I've made from her site. This dish is no exception. In fact, it's really one of the most unique and tasty meals I've ever had. My husband was raving over the flavor, the meat (chicken & sausage), and the terrific leftovers it made for lunch the next day.
It's a rather easy dish to whip up. Make sure you start bycooking your rice, if you don't have any leftovers to use. As the meat and veggies cook the rice will be done just in time to toss it all together. The recipe calls for Creole or Cajun seasoning. I used Cajun seasoning. I had never used Cajun seasoning before, and bought some special for this dish. I've found a few other recipes that I'll share soon that use it too. I've also used it in ham fried rice. Cajun seasoning is a great combination of flavors: salt, black pepper, thyme, red pepper, paprika, garlic, onion, and celery seed. Ummmmmmm. If you are looking for a dish to please the family, look no further than here! Enjoy.

Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Printable Version
Serves about 6

1 pound smoked sausage or kielbasa (chicken or turkey) sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 pound chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (can use green but I prefer the flavor and color of a red bell pepper)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
1 (10-ounces) can Rotel tomatoes (Mild or Original)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups hot, steamed rice

Note: Start cooking the rice while you prepare the rest of the jambalaya so it is ready to add in during the last step.

In a 4-6 quart pot, cook sausage and poultry over medium heat, if you use lean sausage add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Drain the grease (you may only need to do this if you aren't using a lean sausage), scrape the meat onto a plate and set aside. Melt the butter in the same pot. Stir in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the vegetables, basil and Creole (or Cajun) seasoning, and the Rotel tomatoes and sugar. Stir well. Simmer the mixture over low or medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are mostly tender (they'll continue to cook a few minutes longer in the next step). Add the sausage and chicken back to the pot, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes longer. Stir in the hot, steamed rice until you achieve your desired consistency.

Recipe Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe