*From a Hank Williams, Sr. song. The "old country" listener in this household graciously shared the song with me ;-)
Modifications: I cut the amount of some things in half with the object of making less overall food, but a meal that was spicy. I also added some veggies. For my own records, I'd better record what I used:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (just over 1 lb), chopped and tossed with Cajun seasoning
1 c chopped white onion
1 c chopped green pepper
1/4 c chopped red pepper
1 stalk chopped celery
5-6 chopped mushrooms
1 lb (i.e. 1 pkg) Marc Angelo Hot Italian sausage
2 bay leaves
1.5 tsp chili powder (1 tsp paprika, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp cayenne powder, 1 tsp oregano, 2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1.5 c long grain white rice
3.25 c homemade chicken broth
Preparation: I don't have enough room in my kitchen. However, the prep work is pretty straightforward and the recipe is forgiving of errors (e.g., when I got the whole thing to a boil and covered it, but forgot to reduce the heat... even though it was on a high boil for several minutes before I realized it, it turned out fine). Bonus points for that! I followed reviewers' suggestions to rinse the rice before adding it to the pot. That was a little tricky, but I managed.
Verdict: The rice was still a little bit mushy, but it seemed to be just enough to hold the dish together, as I imagine a jambalaya should have some melding of the ingredients. The chicken was moist, despite being boneless. I liked the spice, but it was on the edge of being too hot for my hubby. Despite all the seasonings, there was not much variety in flavour. I would marinate the chicken next time in cajun or salt/pepper/thyme or chili to give it even more flavour. I might also blacken the sausage before adding it to the mix to give it a bit much crunch.
We both found it very hearty and a nice change. All in all, a healthy, hearty, flavourful start to the new year!
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