Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

I made this a few nights ago, wondering how my family would respond.  Sometimes things I think will be a big hit - aren't - and you just never know.  This was a definite hit.  Grant thought it was absolutely awesome and couldn't wait to have the leftovers for lunch the next day.  He compliments me on my cooking nearly all of the time, but I was shocked at how much he loved this.  The kids...well, one thought it was a bit too spicy and didn't like the veggies in it....but that's just the stage she's in.  She complains about almost every dinner dish in one way or another.  The rest of the kids liked it a lot, especially the sausage part.  


I like that it's a stove top dinner, not requiring me to heat up the oven on warm days.  It really goes together pretty fast, about an hour or so including cooking the brown rice.  It's a little spicy, very flavorful, and generally healthy.  I know it will be one Grant requests often now.  I love that although he sometimes complains about my insisting on trying new recipes all the time, we end up with new family favorites that way. 


Recipe: (From Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices (I used turkey sausage)

1 pound chicken (about 2 average-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts or the equivalent of another kind of cut, like thighs), 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 bell pepper (red or green), chopped

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning (use a light hand with this if you don't want it overly spicy)

1 can (10-ounces) Rotel tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 cups hot, steamed rice (I cooked 1 cup brown rice, which turned out to be about 3 cups)

Just a tip: 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. 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.