Unintentional Jambalaya

Happy Fat Tuesday!

I honestly didn't start this as jambalaya, but that is how it ended.

It also ended up extremely spicy, since I underestimated the power of my Cajun seasoning and the linguica I used. (The recipe has been adjusted to compensate for this.)

I wanted a red beans and rice dish that would use up the chicken I had waiting patiently in the refrigerator. About half way through typing this I realized I had made (and consumed) jambalaya. I blame the Baby Brain for this major oversight.

You will need:

3 pearl onions, peeled and diced
1/2 large red pepper, diced
1/2 large green pepper, diced
2 links of linguica (or a milder smoked sausage if you don't want it spicy) cut into bite-sized rounds
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 bag of 10 minute rice (You can use regular rice, but add 1/4 c. broth and extend cooking time.)
2 TBS my blend of Cajun seasoning (recipe below) for medium heat
(1 TBS for mild and 2.5 TBS for spicy... 3 was borderline "too spicy", and I like spice.)


In a large frying pan, saute onion and peppers over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until onions are transparent. Remove from pan.
Brown chicken so that no pink remains on the outside, about 7 minutes.
Add seasoning, tomatoes and broth to the pan.
Make a well in the center of the pan and add rice. Stir, making sure rice stays submerged.
Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer.
Return the peppers and onion to the pan and add beans and linguica. Do not stir!
Simmer for 15 minutes (or longer if it is needed for the rice).

Enjoy!

Cajun Seasoning:

1.5 TBS salt
1 TBS smoked paprika
1 TBS cayanne pepper
1 TBS oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Makes a little over 6 TBS, so make this in something resealable unless you are tripling the above recipe.