Jambalaya

Jambalaya is one of the most well known and loved Cajun style dishes. The base of Jambalaya is what many chefs call the holy trinity - onions, celery, and bell peppers with meat,tomatoes, and rice added to complete the dish . The meat used in Jambalaya can be customized to your liking but my ultimate Jambalaya holds nothing back using grilled chicken, classic andouille sausage, and delicious gulf shrimp. Packed with bold and robust flavors that compliment each other perfectly, it's one of those dishes you can't seem to get enough of.

1 pound of boneless chicken breast
10 ounces of Andouille Sausage or Smoked Kielbasa (sliced)
1/2 to 3/4 lb of Wild caught Gulf Shrimp
1 large onion (diced)
1 stalk of celery (diced)
2 Yellow bell peppers (diced)
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 cup of dry white wine
2 cups of chicken stock
16oz can of diced Tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon of file gumbo
1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon of Paprika
1/4 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of dried Italian Seasoning
2 bay leaves
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
1 and 1/2 cups of long grain rice
Fresh parsley
Fresh Scallions

In a heavy bottomed pot, add 2 tablespoons of peanut or vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Add the diced celery, bell peppers, and onion sauté together until they start to become tender. Add the andouille sausage and stir in with the trinity browning the andouille slightly. Next add the chopped garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring often so that the garlic doesn't burn. Add the white wine and allow the alcohol to cook for for a few minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes along with the chicken stock and the bay leaves - stir well. Add all of the spices to the Jambalaya and bring to a  low simmer - stirring occasionally. Season to taste. I like my jambalaya to have a nice kick to it so I tend to add more heat and spice than I originally call for.

While the jambalaya simmers, cook the chicken and shrimp. You can add the the chicken in right in the beginning with the trinity and the andouille but I like to grill the chicken if possible. Just season with salt and pepper and a pinch of same seasonings we have in the jambalaya itself. Shrimp to me tastes the best when it's grilled or roasted in the oven. Turn your over to 375 and roast the shrimp that have been tossed in a bit of olive oil and some salt and pepper. As soon as the shrimp are pink they're done.

Turn the heat up on the jambalaya until the liquid begins to boil. Add the rice and stir very well to combine. Cover the Jambayala and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Once the rice is tender, remove the bay leaves and and add the shrimp and chicken. stir in freshly chopped parsley and scallions and serve hot.