Jambalaya - It's a Party in your mouth

I always think of jambalaya as a party for your mouth. Its a mixture of everything I love - rice, meat, tomatoes (and to think I wouldn't touch tomatoes as a girl I thought they were yucky), hot spices all dancing around on your tongue. Even the word sounds festive.

Some people make it with chicken, some make it with shrimp, since I love meat in all its many forms I put chicken, shrimp, and sausage in my version. I try to make it whenever shrimp goes on sale and its a favorite of both myself and my husband.

Jambalaya

Ingredients

• 16 ounce bag of long grain rice
• 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp
• 1 lb of andouille sausage
• 1 extra large boneless skinless chicken breast
• 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 large onion diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 1/2 large green pepper
• minced garlic
• Cajun seasoning
• hot sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt
• ground white pepper
• paprika
• olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth
• 2 cups of water

1. Season chicken beast with cajun seasonings and cook till done. Dice into bite size pieces. Set aside.
2. Cook sausage and dice into bite size pieces. Set aside.
3. Peel and clean shrimp. Set aside.
4. In large pan or dutch oven heat olive oil (about a tablespoon). Add minced garlic, peppers, onion, and celery to pan. Cook until tender and onion is slightly translucent.
5. Add in tomato paste and rice. Cook about 3 minutes till rice is well coated.
6. Add in diced tomatoes with liquid, chicken broth, water, seasonings,  bay leaves, sausage, and chicken.
7. Cover and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed and rice is almost done. (You may have to add additional water as it cooks). Stir occasionally during cooking to prevent rice from sticking to bottom of pan.
8. Add in shrimp
6. Stir in shrimp and cook until shrimp are pink in color and rice is done.