Chicken and Rice

Those who know my handsome half know that he is no fan of leftovers. So when I find a recipe that he requests the next day for lunch, I sit up and take notice!

This recipe was inspired by a family recipe of Mario Lopez’s.  I’ve tweaked it and added a little south Louisiana touch (you can take the girl out of Louisiana…..) and the end result was a quite yummy one dish meal that incorporates things that are good for you.  It also re-heats very well.  So much so, that my handsome half actually requested it as a “left-over” meal for a 3rd time! Needless to say, this recipe was added to my permanent repertoire.

Chicken and Rice

2 TBSPS. olive or coconut oil – divided use

6 ounces of andouille pork sausage

½ of a medium onion

1 celery stalk

½ tsp. salt

1 cup of uncooked rice of choice (brown, white, etc.)

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 cups of chicken broth or stock

1 pound of cooked chicken (left over rotisserie chicken works well) cut into 1” chunks

1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (use either green, red, orange or yellow)

1 cup of frozen green, English peas (do NOT use canned!)

2 – 3 shakes of hot pepper sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel away the casing on 6 ounces of the sausage and in a small food chopper or processor, process the sausage into small chunks (don’t over process). Remove from chopper/processor and set aside.

Process the onion and celery into small pieces/dices (don’t over process).  Remove from chopper/processor and set aside.

In a large pot, heat 1 TBSP. of oil over medium heat, add the sausage and cook for about 3 minutes. Add onion, celery and salt and sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in rice, Italian seasoning and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken, mix well, bring back to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover pot with lid and cook for 30 – 35 minutes until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender and fluffy.

While everything is cooking in the pot, in a sauté pan, heat the remaining TBSP of oil over medium heat and sauté the bell pepper until it is slightly limp – about 3 or 4 minutes.  Add green peas and sauté with the bell pepper until the peas are heated – about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

When the chicken and rice is finished cooking, remove from heat, stir in the bell pepper and peas, shake in the hot pepper sauce, taste test and add salt and pepper if needed