Chicken & Andouille Jambalaya :: Mardi Gras
By: Angela LeMoine
Published: Friday, February 28, 2014 - 11:08am

Ingredients




2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
4 links andouille sausage, 1/2 inch slices
2 celery stalks, small dice
1 yellow onion, small dice
2 green bell peppers, small dice
6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
1 bay leaf
2-3 tsp cajun seasoning {depends on your heat preference}
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cups long grain white rice
olive oil

Preparation

1 Heat up a large heavy duty pot {I use my Le Crueset Dutch Oven} over medium heat. 2 Add in a few Tbsp of olive oil and the sliced andouille sausage. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sausage is lightly golden and the flavors have infused into the oil. 3 Add in the celery, peppers, onion, garlic, chicken, bay leaf, cajun seasoning, water and the crushed tomatoes. Season lightly with salt. Stir everything around, lower the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour. 4 Stir in the rice. Cover the pot and cook on low for 25 minutes, stirring a few times to prevent sticking. 5 Shut the heat, keep the lid on and allow to continue to cook for 10 minutes. The rice should be perfectly cooked. If its still a little under cooked simply add a little bit of water and cook a few extra minutes. Season with salt to taste.

About

Nothing says NOLA or Mardi Gras more then Jambalaya! I’m going to tell you right now, this dish is amazing!!!! I invited my brothers over last night to share this giant pot of Jambalaya with us. A “funny” little story about when I invite my brothers over… Dominick always responds not with a yes or no but instead with a “What are you making?”. So I told him what I was making and I told him it would be even better then Ragin Cajun {a small local cajun restaurant} and his response was something along the lines of “don’t push it”. I am very happy to say, I WIN! This pot was devoured and compliments kept coming! My little brother Mike said “You’ve made a lot of really great dishes but this may the best”!! 
This dish is very simple to make but the flavors are absolutely fantastic!!! Boneless skinless chicken thighs are perfectly fork tender, spicy andouille sausage, traditional bell peppers, onions and celery. Fresh garlic, crushed tomatoes a bay leaf and cajun seasoning  add incredible flavor to this one pot dish; yes the rice is cooked right in there too! Seriously, you all have got to make this it is so good!!!