Chicken and Seafood Jambalaya

from the kitchen of Chef Paul Prudhomme

Makes 4 main-dish or 8 appetizer servings

When I was growing up, jambalaya was a reality at least once a week. You would think that I would be tired of eating it, but quite the contrary. It's a great rice dish with a smoky flavor and an explosion of taste.

ingredients

2 1/2 tablespoons chicken or beef fat, pork lard, butter or oil

2/3 cup chopped tasso (preferred) or other smoked ham (about 3 ounces)

1/2 cup chopped Andouille (preferred) or any other good pure pork smoked sausage (about 3 ounces)

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers

1/2 cup bite-size pieces chicken (about 3 ounces)

2 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic ®or

Chef Paul Prudhomme'sPoultry Magic ®or

Chef Paul Prudhomme'sMeat Magic®

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic

4 medium-size fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped (about 1 pound)

3/4 cup tomato sauce

2 cups seafood stock

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups uncooked rice, preferably processed

1 1/2 dozen peeled medium shrimp (about 1/2 pound)

1 1/2 dozen shucked medium-size oysters in their liquor (the liquid in which they are packe), about 10 ounces

how to prepare

Melt the fat in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the tasso and andouille and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan well, until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, raise the heat to high and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium, add the Magic Seasoning, bay leaves, and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly and scraping the pan bottom as needed, for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Add the tomato sauce to the saucepan and continue to cook, stirring fairly often, for 7 minutes. Stir in the stock, bring to a boil, then stir in the green onions. Cook, stirring once or twice, for 2 minutes. Add the rice, shrimp and oysters, stir well, and remove from the heat. Transfer to an ungreased 8 x 8-inch baking pan, cover snugly with aluminum foil and bake until the rice is tender but still a bit crunchy, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and serve immediately.