"Shrimp", Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

This recipe is one that I got from a friend and made a few changes/additions to make it my own.  It is great for cold weather and feeds the masses (it feeds easy 12-15 people).  When I made this last night we had 12 people over and had a ton of left overs.

Ingredients:
2 Kilbasa Sausages
2-3 large chicken breats
1 to 1.5 pound of shrimp (peeled, de-vained, tails off and cut in half)
2 bell peppers
2 onions
3 spring onions
6 - 7 ribs of celery
3 cloves of garlic
1/8 cup of extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons of butter
2 cans of diced tomatoes (16 oz cans)
1 glass gar of mushrooms whole mushrooms (I then cut into half)
1 small can of sliced mushrooms
2 cups of chicken brooth
28 oz of instant box rice (I use brown rice to make it a little better for you)
28 oz of water
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp of dried thyme or 3 tsp of fresh
1 1/2 tsp of dried parsley or 3 tsp of fresh 
1 1/2 tsp of dried oregano or 3 tsp of fresh
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp of black pepper
1 tbs of Zatatrans Creole Seasoning (or which ever brand you prefer)

Kitchen gadgets that make this recipe super easy:

(I use a progress onion chopper for the onion and bell pepper and it saves a ton of time.  I love this little amazing gadget)

Okay so here it the secret formula (other wise know as the receipt or the recipe):

• Chop both onions, bell peppers, spring onions and celery and add them to a large skillet.  Once in the large skillet add the butter and the EVOO to the veggies and saute them over medium high heat until they are tender.

• Peel, crush and chop the garlic and add to mixture of veggies about 5 minutes after the saute starts.  By adding the garlic a couple minutes into the process you will avoid burning it which make it very bitter.

 

• Once veggies/garlic are tender move transfer them onto a large pot, I use a 16 quart pot with a glass lid.  To this add everything except the shrimp, sausage and chicken.  Bring all the ingredients to a boil, let boil for 5 minutes then reduce to a simmer.  The purpose of the boil is to cook the instant rice.

• In the same skillet add two turns around the pan of EVOO and then the chicken breasts.  To the chicken breasts I take addition creole seasoning and sprinkle on each side.  Cook the chicken until it is cook completely through (no pink left).  Cut the chicken into small chunks and set aside.

•  Cut the sausage links into small/medium chunks and set aside and place with the cooked chicken pieces. 

• Once the rice and veggie mixture has cooked add the sausage and chicken over medium/low heat and cook for about 5 minutes to heat sausage all the way through.

• Once the five minutes have past add the shrimp that you have peeled, de-vained, tails off and cut in half over low heat. 

• Stir often until the shrimp are pink and slightly firm, you don't want the shrimp to over cook and become tough.  After cooking in complete, dish-up and enjoy!