Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

I recently made a simple and delicious Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya that I saw Emile Stieffel make on Throwdown with Bobby Flay (he defeated Bobby). It is composed of boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat, andouille sausage (I used a combination of Niman Ranch and Aidell's) and tasso ham, with chopped basil and parsley and lots of white and black pepper. Following Mr. Stieffel's recommendation, I served it with dried red peppers and assorted hot sauces on the side. Most of the diners found it hot enough without, but two of us tried some sauces. My preferred sauce was classic Tabasco, but the other adventurous guest liked the Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce.

The recipe is clear and takes about 90 minutes to prepare. The whole thing comfortably makes two meals for 6, and you can easily freeze half at the stage when all the meats are cooked but before the stock and rice are added.

Not being from New Orleans, I can't vouch for its authenticity, but this is an excellent Jambalaya.

Bobby Jay