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Plan Z Phase: This is a Z3.5 (ZReboot 3.5) recipe.

Jambalaya is normally a rice-centric dish that is chock-full of carbs. I redesigned this dish so you can fit some rice into your life without blowing your diet. Just don’t make this a weekly favorite. Maybe 4 times a year, tops. This will also transport well for lunches at the office or makes a fine addition to a buffet or pot luck.

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of bacon cut into ½” strips
• 5 chicken tenders cut into one inch pieces
• 1 Tbl of olive oil
• 2 ribs of celery cut into large dice
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• ½ green bell pepper, diced
• 4 tsp of minced garlic (jar garlic will work)
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• 1 tsp of smoked paprika
• 1 tsp of Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp of cayenne (or to taste)
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 15 oz of canned, diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup of tomato paste
• 1 slice of breakfast ham cut into large dice (find it by the bacon) about 5” in diameter
• 4, 5” andouille sausages (pre-cooked), cut into 1” pieces
• 1-½ – 2 cups of uncooked white rice

Instructions:

In a large Dutch Oven, cook the bacon until crisp. Add the chicken and increase heat to medium high. Cook about 4 minutes. Then, using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and the bacon bits. Set them on a plate to rest.

Add the oil to the pan. Put in the celery, onion and bell peppers. Cook until wilted. Stir. About 3 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, Italian seasoning, black and cayenne pepper. Stir and cook for one minute. Add broth, tomatoes and paste. Stir. Return the chicken and bacon to the pan along with the ham bits. Quickly saute the sausage pieces in a separate pan so they get a little brown on all edges. Then add them to the pot, too. Put on a low simmer. Add the rice. Stir it all up. Put the cover on the pot. Cook at a simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is done. Turn off and let the dish sit for 10 more minutes with the cover on to completely cook the rice. Open and use a large spoon to fluff it all up. Serve in bowls.

You can always put some hot sauce on the table for those who really like their food spicy. This had plenty of flavor and heat for me.

Enjoy!

Cheers,