Almost Homemade Jambalaya with French Bread

     Homemade Jambalaya is not hard to make, and I make it often. But when I don't have much time, and I am craving some good Jambalaya, I CHEAT. Yes, I cheat. I go to the store and buy a couple of boxes of LOW SODIUM Zatarains!  It is delish! I do add a few things to the dish to really kick up the flavor.   

I made this for all the teachers at the school I used to teach at; they all thought it was amazing, and were touched that I had worked so hard (for I MUST have worked hard on such an amazing dish!) to cook for them.  Little did they know...until I confessed! This is the recipe that I will share with you today, and I will add my TRULY homemade Jambalaya another day (after I cook it and figure out how much of what I put in there).

There is one mistake that people often make with this and other rice dishes that can tarnish the final product; they take the lid off of the pot while it is all cooking. This lets your steam (which is what makes your rice cook) escape, and you end up with hard bits of rice in your final dish.  My husband has learned to NEVER take the lid off of a pot while something is cooking in it! This is a cardinal rule in my home; and since he doesn't enjoy hard bits of rice in his food, he is all to eager to comply. I favor Kielbasa (or as my mawmaw use to call it, "Monkey Tail Sausage") over the more traditional andouille sausage.  You can use whichever one you like the best.  It can be found right next to the smoked sausage in the store. OH,  I love to use my Le Creuset enamel coated, cast- iron, round dutch oven for this recipe.  Okay, less rambling; more cooking!

Poblano Peppers

Jambalaya

serves 8

Ingredients: 

2 packages of Smoked Sausage sliced (I love Nathans Kielbasa from Publix..Kosher is better :)

3 Chicken breast (pounded even)

5 cups of water or do half water and half chicken broth.

1 large onion diced

1 large poblano pepper seeded (just take the seeds out) and diced

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 Boxes of Zatarains Low Sodium Jambalaya mix.  

French Bread (Heated in the oven to get it crisp)

DIRECTIONS:

Heat your dutch oven to medium heat on your stove top.  

Add your sausage and let it brown.

Remove your sausage and cook your chicken breast in the drippings that are left behind. 

Cook your chicken 7 min. on each side..remember NO CTDs  (Compulsive Turning Disorders) here!

Set your chicken aside to cool.

Put your onion and Poblano in the dutch oven now to saute.  Drizzle in some olive oil before hand If there isn't enough grease left from the sausage and chicken.

While your onion and pepper is sauteing (about 5 min), dice your chicken.

Add your chicken and sausage to the onions and peppers in the dutch oven and stir.

Add your garlic powder and stir

Add 5 cups of water or water/broth mix and bring to a boil

Add your Zatarains Jambalaya Mix and stir. (QUICK! Throw the boxes away so no one knows that you used a mix!) 

Bring it back to a boil. Cover and set on low heat.

Set your timer for 27 minutes and DO NOT TOUCH THAT POT BEFORE HAND! :) Seriously...WALK AWAY! 

When the timer goes off, all of the water should be gone and you should be left with delicious Jambalaya!   If the all water isn't evaporated, just give it a good stir and it will soon be gone.  

Desert?  See my recipe for Easy White Chocolate Chip Cookies.