Recipe: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya

I recently tried a new recipe that is not too difficult (if you don't mind a little chopping), tastes delish and is not too bad for you!! It was originally published in Cooking Light magazine. The recipe makes quite a large batch, especially if you're cooking for one, so I had plenty of leftovers for lunches, dinners, etc.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp canola oil

1 1/2 cups andouille sausage, sliced

3 cups finely chopped red bell peppers

3 cups finely chopped yellow onion (I omitted this due to my hatred for onions)

2 cups finely chopped celery

2 bay leaves

2 1/2 cups chopped boneless skinless chicken breast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp finely chopped jalapeno pepper

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground red pepper (I used a whole tsp of crushed red pepper flakes because I love them) 

3 garlic cloves, minced 

1/2 cup tomato puree 

2 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth  

Start by heating the oil over medium-high heat in a large dutch-oven and add the sausage. I used chicken andouille sausage that was pre-cooked, so I only left it in the oil for a few minutes to brown it a little. Next add the celery, red peppers, onions and bay leaves. It should look like this (except I used a big pot, not a dutch oven):

Once the vegetables have browned and start to squeak (about 14 minutes), add chicken and next 8 ingredients (through garlic). Cook another 4 minutes, stirring occassionally. Add the tomato puree and cook for about 2 minutes. Next, add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. At this point, the recipe says to add 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice. I was trying to avoid a lot of carbs, so I skipped this step. I did serve it over brown rice the first night I made it. When I ate the leftovers, I ate it more like soup without the rice and it was just as good, if not better. 

After this step is complete, cover the dish, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Then you can DIG IN!! Don't forget to discard the bay leaves before serving!

Yum yum!!! Enjoy!

~Kris