Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Jambalaya

OK. So by now you've noticed I've really been slacking on the blog posts and new recipes. I just haven't been up for cooking lately, I'm hoping that funk has passed and I can move on to cooking fun new things for December. I'm not doing a menu this month, because I didn't cook half of what I had on my menu for last month, and I already have a lot of the ingredients to make a lot of it. But today, I do have a new recipe for you! One of my husband's favorite things to eat is jambalaya. He's perfectly happy with the Zatrain's box, but I wanted to try it without the box. This recipe was great. I was hesitant about the clam juice because I've never used it before, but it was a good addition to the dish. This one got all thumbs up and smiles from my hubby, and kiddos of course.

Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Jambalaya

adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced

1 rib celery, diced

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced

5 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tsp. vegetable oil

3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1-2 TBSP Worstershire Sauce

1/2 tsp Cajun Spice (I use Tony's)

8 oz. andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into ¼-inch chunks (or crumbled, if in delicate casings)

1½ cups long-grain white rice (I used brown rice.)

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. fresh thyme leaves (1/8 dried)

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained (¼ cup of juice reserved)

1 cup bottled clam juice

1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1 lb. shrimp (31-40 per lb.), peeled and deveined

2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

Directions:

Mix worstershire, cajun spice, and chicken in a bowl. Let sit for a couple of minutes while you dice the veggies, or use a food processor.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to pot and cook until no longer pink. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the andouille. Cook, stirring often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon, and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium-low and add the chopped vegetables to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Add the rice, salt, thyme and cayenne; cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is coated with the fat, about 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, clam juice, chicken broth, bay leaves, cooked chicken, and cooked sausage to the pot. Stir to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Scatter the shrimp over the rice, cover, and continue to cook until the rice is fully tender and the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

Once the shrimp are finished cooking, discard the bay leaves, stir in the parsley, and serve immediately.