Jambalaya

By McLean

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 8 oz. cooked ham, cubed
• 8 oz. kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, untrained
• 1 cup uncooked converted rice
• 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 teaspoons Cajun (Creole) seasoning
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• 2 bay leafs
• 1 lb fresh or frozen peeled and deveined large shrimp with tails (thawed if frozen)
• 6 green onions, finely chopped 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned, about 4 minutes, turning occasionally; transfer to a plate. Add ham and kielbasa to Dutch oven; cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to plate with chicken.

2. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to Dutch oven. Add celery, onion and garlic; cook just until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire, rice, broth, bell pepper, Cajun seasoning and bay leaves. Add chicken, ham and kielbasa and bring to a boil.

3. Cover and bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is nearly tender, about 35 minutes. Rinse shrimp; pat dry with paper towels. Stir into rice mixture. Cover and bake until shrimp is opaque, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring once. Discard bay leaves. Sprinkle with green onions and parsley.