Chicken & Rice Jambalaya {recipe}

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The other night I posted this little teaser pic on my Instagram…

…and got a lot of comments wanting to know what I was making! I would like to say that my inspiration for this recipe came from my Riceland tour last week but the truth is that I have been making this recipe since I was in college! It’s super yummy, super quick and easy to make, and is super budget friendly! Plus is makes a lot of food so there are always leftovers! WIN WIN WIN!!!

So what in the world is it? Well I call it Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya!! You can actually use any meat in the recipe but chicken and sausage are my faves. I have made it with shrimp before and even crab one time. One of my cajun friends told me to never mix land and water animals so I never have and it has always turned out really good.

Now I know someone is probably wondering why in the world I am calling this a jambalaya and I have wondered before if I was calling it the correct name, and I always try and call my food by the correct name, so I looked up the definition for jambalaya and all the dictionary would tell me is that it is a cajun dish with rice, meat, and veggies. I would definitely say that this recipe qualifies so jambalaya it is!!

In order to make this super quick and easy jambalaya there are a few secret ingredients that I just have to tell you about. First of all when I sauté my chicken I use an oil instead of a butter. Recently I have been using Riceland’s Rice Bran Oil which is actually a lot better for you than my usual veggie oil. Rice Bran Oil is an extremely versatile cooking oil which can be used for frying, baking, sauteing, seasoning the grill, cooking in a wok, roasting vegetables, and pretty much anything you can think of. It also has a neutral taste, and contains vitamin E and oryzanol, which has shown to lower cholesterol. And last, but not least it has a very high smoking point so you won’t burn your food in it!

Another secret ingredient I use is Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. I literally use this seasoning on everything I make. When I say I am using cajun seasoning on something this is the brand I use. I buy this stuff in bulk and always have it on hand. Trust me on this one.

And of course, the star of this dish, Riceland’s Rice ‘N Easy Spanish Rice mix. I realize there are a ton of spanish rice mixes on the market but please just trust me when I tell you that this one is the best. And I have tried a lot of spanish rice mixes in my day so I know what I’m talking about.

Also- a lot of people use these mixes strictly as a side dish but I find that they make pretty fabulous main dishes as well. They come in a variety of flavors so keep checking the blog for more recipes to come soon!!

For the stewed tomatoes I prefer the Italian blend because they are seasoned with garlic and oregano. For the sausage I prefer keilbasa. These choices are all about my personal preference so use whatever you like!!

The full recipe is below so be sure and check that out. As for me, I will be off stuffing my face with this yummy jambalaya until it’s all gone! YUM!!

Have you tried Riceland’s Rice ‘N Easy rice mixes??
Have you ever made your own jambalaya??