Yum Yums! Jambalaya

Not the greatest pic, but...

I saw this "Soup" version of mixed vegetables from Harris Teeter. It has okra, potatoes, green beans, peppers, corn, carrots and celery! It was about $1.50 for the pack so I decided to buy it. I really wanted to make Chicken and dumplings w/ it..but I wasn't really in the mood for soup. I have a whole can of tomato puree plus some rice so I decided to make Jambalaya instead! I looked at some recipes but I didn't really like what I saw (mainly because I didn't have the ingredients they asked for) so I just decided to wing it and see how it turned out. I didn't use everything in the vegetable mix- I omitted the potatoes and celery because I HATE cooked celery, and I decided that I'm gonna use the potatoes for something else, so I just put them back in the bag. My chicken was previously seasoned and I used cayenne pepper, black pepper, onion powder and garlic salt. Here it goes!

Jambalaya

Serves: 3

Preheat oven: 350F

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

3 pieces of Chicken (I used 2 thighs and a leg)

1/4 of a Kielbasa link, medium dice

2 tbsp Veg OR Olive Oil 

3 cl. Garlic, minced

1/4 Onion, medium dice

1 tsp Fresh Thyme, minced

1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, minced

1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 bag of Harris Teeter Soup Mixed Vegetables

1/2 c. Rice

2 oz Tomato Puree

3/4 can Chicken Broth

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a medium sized dutch oven, or pot, over medium heat, saute Kielbasa until it releases its oils. Remove Kielbasa from pan and add oil. 
2. Once oil is hot, add chicken and sear (brown) on all sides. Be careful to adjust the heat (lower as needed) so that the chicken is not burning. Once all pieces are evenly browned, place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 mins.
3. Meanwhile, in the same pot over medium-high heat, saute garlic, onion, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and vegetable mix until the onions are translucent.  Add rice and saute until all rice is coated in oil-about 2 mins. 
4. Add tomato puree and stir in chicken broth. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. If the rice is still undercooked, add a 1/4c water (only if needed).
5. Once the chicken is cooked (thigh reads 165F), add back into the pot and stir.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

HAPPY EATING! 

=)