Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a Louisiana Creole dish of Spanish and French influence.  Jambalaya is traditionally made in three parts, with meat and vegetables, and is completed by adding stock and rice. Very simple, but such a  delicious dish. I've added a bit of Indian fusion to this recipe by adding some Indian spices.

PREP TIME
20 mins
COOK TIME
1 hour
TOTAL TIME
1 hour 20 mins

Serves: 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS:
2 tbsp butter
1 onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (I used red)
2 stalks celery, diced
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in small pieces (chicken breast works as well)
2 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
½ tbsp dried oregano
2 large dried bay leaves
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
2 cups basil marinara sauce (I used Ragu)
2 cups chicken stock or water
1 cups long grain white rice 
1 lb peeled, deveined large shrimp 
2 tbsp karahi masala (Shan)

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp garam masala

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large skilled or pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onion for 3 minutes until transparent. Add bell pepper, celery and chicken and all the spices and cook on medium high heat for 5 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. You aren't cooking the chicken entirely at this stage.

Add the marinara sauce, chicken stock/or water and rice and stir. Cook until it comes to a boil and reduce the stove to a simmer. Cook until the rice is fully cooked and the water has evaporated. (Takes about 45 minutes or so)

In the meantime, clean the shrimp and cook the shrimp in the butter with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook it for about a minute on each side, until it's pink and a bit crisp. I cut the shrimp in half, but you can use whole shrimp if you'd like. 

Add the shrimp to the pot when the rice is fully cooked and stir. Serve warm. 

Stuffed Peppers (Chicken Santa Fe)

The following makes 4 peppers. I did a variation, half were with rice (the right pepper in the picture), the other two were without rice (the left in the picture). These can be a beautiful appetizer to your meal or the Entree itself.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 4 chicken boneless thighs (I manually grinded these in my food processor, keep an eye on it) 
2. 1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
3. 4 tbsp tomato paste 
4. 4 large green bellpeppers (you want to look for bellpeppers thst are wider, so you have something to stuff) 
5. 1 tbsp oil
Spices used:
6. 1 tsp salt
7. 1 tbsp ground cumin 
8. 1 tbsp red chili powder
9. 1 tbsp garam masala
10. 1/2 tbsp red chili flakes (crushed pepper)
Optional:
11. 1/2 can of black beans
12. 1/2 cup of whole kernel corn 
13. shredded cheese (I used colby jack)

DIRECTIONS:
Begin with 1 tbsp oil and warm that in a pot. When the oil is hot, add the ginger/garlic paste and sautee it a little. Add the ground chicken and the spices and mix it up. Cook this for approximately 15 minutes on medium high heat. This is to ensure the chicken doesn't let out too much water.
As the chicken cooks, boil water in a pot to prep the bellpeppers. (Cut the top 1 inch of the bellpepper and take out the middle core with seeds) As the water comes to a boil, you will put in the peppers for 5 minutes. When they're done, take them out and set them aside.
When the chicken is done, add the beans, corn, tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the temperature to medium heat. Let this cook until the water had dried and the beans and corn are tender. *NOTE: in order for the water to dry, leave the lid off of the pot during this process. (It takes about 15-30 minutes, depending on the corn, I used frozen corn that was thawed) Remember, you don't have to add in the black beans or corn. If you don't add them, just add the tomato paste and no water and cook on medium heat 5 minutes.
If you want to add rice, you can add it either to the pot entirely and mix it in, or in separate bowl.  Just make sure to mix the meat and rice well.
Stuff the peppers with your mixture, with or without rice. And sprinkle with cheese and a little crushed red pepper flakes. Broil the bellpeppers for approximately 5 minutes or until your cheese melts and begins to turn golden.

Enjoy this recipe of stuffed peppers and please include pictures and comments of your versions of this item.