Riceless Jambalaya - IWC Day 15

I made this one pot dish this past Friday night for some fellow PCF'ers and the result was a completely empty pot.

Many of you may or may not know that I have a professional cooking background, so I cook by instinct using my all my senses to gauge flavor. I don't really follow a recipe, nor do I measure, so I apologize in advance if the amounts seem "off." Cooking in pro kitchens we mesure by weight, not by volume, so my estimates will be by weight or by the each whenever possible.  Have faith that if you make it with love, it will be delicious.

6 chicken thighs (I leave the skin on. FAT=FLAVOR!!!)
4 chicken breasts (See above^^)
1# Andouille sausage (see Courtneyrose)
1# 30-40 peeled, raw Shrimp (this means there are 30-40 shrimp in a pound- it's the size of the shrimp)
4 Celery stalks
2 Green Bell peppers
1/2 large yellow onion
2 med. tomatoes, diced.
5 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaf
1 teaspoon of Worchestershire (I actually omitted this, but it's probably tasty)
1/2 bottle of lousianna hot sauce (I like it hot :)
1 tbls Coconut Oil
2 tablespoons of Creole Seasoning (recipe below. You can buy premade Creole seasoning, but I recommend making your own so you can control your sodium content)

Dice/Chop all veg into 3/4" pieces. Set aside.
"Smash" garlic. Set aside.
Slice andouille into pieces. Set aside.
Cut chicken breast into 1" cubes. Split the thighs into 3 pieces, using a meat cleaver. Or you can slice the meat off the bone. Sprinkle Creole Seasoning onto meat and massage the seasoning into the chicken. Yes, touch your meat!!!

Heat coconut oil in heavy bottom pot. Brown the sausage. Remove from pot. Add dice onion, bell pepper and celery. Saute over med-high heat, stirring constantly, for 5 mins or until onion is translucent. Add garlic. Once the garlic is"fragrant," add tomatoes and bay leaves. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan so you can loosen all the tasty, crusty bits of flavor.

Add all seasoned chicken pieces to the pot. Return sausage to pot as well. Add enough water to barely cover the meat. Add hot sauce to your taste (1/2 bottle was perfect!!!). Bring to boil, then drop heat to medium and "half" cover the pot, so water can evaporate and intensify the flavors.

Simmer for about 20 mins. Taste the broth. Test for salt and heat. Adjust as necessary. Stir in raw shrimp. Re-half cover and let the shrimp cook through, less than 10 mins.

NOw eat it!!

This recipe will feed 5-6 hungry Crossfitters :)

~Assassin

Creole Seasoning a la Emeril Lagasse:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt (You may omit this!!)
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme