My sweet husband took a day off this past Monday. And we decided to make his fabulous "spicy rice" dish. It's really close to a jambalaya, but not totally Cajun. My family loves this dish, spice and all! Even the baby cleans his plate.
I am normally very careful to create meals that my diabetic family members can handle. Low-carb pasta, potatoes...that sort of thing. But this is not in that genre. Not even close. Rice tends to be much more difficult for them to process, so be prepared if that's an issue. You could probably use brown rice if you just wanted to be healthy. But we like to live on the edge occasionally.
For this dish we use both chicken breasts and sausage. Two good sized chicken breasts, chopped should equal about 2 cups. I prefer to use Eckrich "skinless" sausage. Because we add so many spices to the mix, you don't need your sausage to be spicy. And the skinless just makes it easier to eat. We use both links, sliced thick and then quartered.
The rest of our ingredients are fairly simple. And I'll include amounts. But I suggest you experiment and get the flavor right for you and your family. The heat can get pretty intense.
You'll need 1/4 sweet, yellow onion; 1 red bell pepper; 1 green bell pepper; 2 cans of tomato sauce; Sriracha sauce; 1 tablespoon of minced garlic; 1/2 teaspoon of salt for the meat and 1/2 teaspoon salt for the rice; 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon of Louisiana brand Cajun Seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash "Extra Spicy"; Cayenne pepper; chili powder; 1 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce; 2 cups of rice. And that's it!
Now, if you can't find these brands of spices...here's what's in them so you can match it up:
Louisiana brand Cajun Seasoning - Salt, spices, red pepper, garlic, and paprika. (yes...a little vague on the "spices" but look for Cajun and you'll be alright!)
Mrs. Dash "Extra Spicy" - Black pepper, sweet chili pepper, cayenne pepper, celery seed, oregano, cumin, basil, bay, marjoram, savory, thyme, coriander, mustard, rosemary, onion, garlic, tomato, paprika color, citric acid, orange peel, oil of lemon.
Let's start cooking...get your boxing gloves on!
You'll want to start your rice cooking first. I cheat...I use the fabulous rice cooker that my husband bought me a few years ago. Best gift ever! A good pot of rice can take about 30 minutes to cook so get it started first. Rule of thumb for rice...1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water. And don't forget to salt it before it cooks! Just a half teaspoon of salt is all the flavor it needs!
Now that your rice is on, get started on the prep work. Because every kitchen has limited counter space, and I'm sure that no one has a separate cutting board for every item, I recommend starting with the veggies. Finely chop your onion, and both bell peppers. Well...at least that's what my husband does! When I'm doing the chopping, it's a little bigger...so I can pick these out while I'm eating! I love the flavor of cooking with the peppers, I just don't care to eat them. These should come to about cup of each, however you choose to chop them.
Rinse your board, then chop up the sausage. If you use both links, it should yield about 3 cups of meat. Then rinse one more time and chop up the chicken breasts. If they aren't fully defrosted...don't worry. It's actually a little easier to chop chicken when it's still a little stiff.
Once you've got everything chopped, add about 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to your skillet and turn the fire to high heat. Next add one tablespoon of minced garlic to the pan and stir it around for just a minute, infusing the oil with your garlic flavor. Toss your chicken and onions both into your hot skillet. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and stir.
NOW...you're gonna light the REAL fire!
Stir in 1 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce. 1/4 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce goes in next. Time to add the dried spices - 1/4 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of Mrs. Dash "Extra Spicy," 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun Seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder and stir!
Add in you 1 cup of green bell peppers and your red bell peppers and stir again. Now...play with your spices. Sprinkle a little of each in again and after adding the sausage, cook this mixture until the liquid is all gone. Feel free to keep spicing it up...if you dare!
As soon as you've cooked off all of the liquid in the pan, you'll add the two cans of tomato sauce. Now, adding the sauce will take some of your heat out...so zap in whichever of the flavors is your favorite. Just a dash...or it'll be overwhelming! Turn your fire down to low and let it simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes. Get those flavors good and married.
Something to keep in mind about "spicy cooking:" The longer it sits...the spicier it gets! Don't forget this rule while you're adding those spices in.
At this point, your rice should already be done and ready to add to the skillet. Make sure you mix very well once it's in the pan so that all of your rice is coated with the sauce. Keep the fire on low and let it cook for just a few minutes more. You want to serve this sticky, not juicy.
Your dish is officially ready now...put it into a pretty serving dish and set it on the table. I like to serve mine with a side of buttered corn. This keeps the fire in my mouth down while I enjoy much more of the rice than I should be eating!
Before you start cooking this with your spouse...check two things first...take your Prilosec! And maybe make a list of topics that are off limits ;).
Go Spicy!
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