Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage

There’s lots of different ways to make jambalaya, with chicken and sausage, or shrimp, or ham, or whatever meat you have handy. Wild Turkey breast and smoked sausage is a good combo. For me Jambalaya must have tomatoes in it. This is sometimes called Red Jambalaya and some don’t consider it the original. I say make it like you like it.

Here is my recipe for chicken and sausage jambalaya. If you want to use wild turkey, you are going to have to make considerable changes when it comes to cooking the turkey. The best bet is to put the turkey in a crock pot and cook till tender. Then add the turkey to the jambalaya mix when you add the rice.

• 1 lb. of boneless raw chicken, cubed; or 1 pound of cooked and cubed wild turkey breast.
• 1 lb. of smoked sausage. I use Conecuh brand smoked sausage.
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 4 ribs celery, chopped
• 2-3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 5 cups of chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons of Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
• 5 strips of bacon

In a large frying pan, fry the bacon and save the grease. Chop bacon.

In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, add ½ the bacon grease and over high heat, sauté the pepper, onion, celery and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add tomatoes, bay leaves, and chopped bacon.

In the frying pan, use the other half of the bacon grease to brown the chicken, sprinkling with Tony Chachere's seasoning. Once browned, add chicken to the stock pot.

In the frying pan, brown the sliced smoked sausage. Depending on the brand of sausage and how long you cook it, you may need to drain the excess grease away before adding the sausage to the stock pot. I generally just use a slotted spoon to move the browned sausage. Add browned sausage to the stock pot.

Add 2 cups of the stock and 2 tablespoons of the Creole seasoning. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Add the remaining 2 cups of stock, check seasonings, and stir in the rice, combining thoroughly. Cook over low-medium heat for about 20-25 minutes, keeping the pot just bubbling until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. 

How “wet” or “dry” you like your jambalaya is a personal preference. I like mine a little on the wet side, so that is what I end up with using this recipe. If the mix is too wet after the rice has become tender, turn the heat down to low and let the sauce thicken up a bit, with the pot uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 10 more minutes. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients. 

Serve with fresh French bread or “The Bread”.