Jambalaya Pasta

Once upon a time, my brother worked and lived in Lafayette, La. I would visit him when my business took me that way. His next door neighbor was a real, honest-to-God Cajun. Could barely understand her when she spoke! One day while I was visiting, she brought over some of the following dish for us to sample. I convinced her to give me the recipe, but I had to watch her as she was making it. Her measurements were “A pinch” or “A dash” or “A handful”. The measurements included in the recipe are my interpretations of how much she used! However, it worked!

• Ready In: 3 hrs 10 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• For the Marinade

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1  teaspoon soy sauce
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

• For the Jambalaya Sauce

• 1  tablespoon butter
• 1⁄2 lb sausage, cut in 1/2 inch slices (preferably Andouille)
• 1  medium onion, diced
• 1  medium bell pepper, diced
• 2  cups  chicken stock
• 1  cup  canned crushed tomatoes in puree
• 2  tablespoons soy sauce
• 3  ounces tomato paste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 1  bay leaf

• For the Vegetables

• 1⁄4 cup  Pickapeppa Sauce (or your favorite barbeque sauce)
• 1  tablespoon soy sauce
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1  medium bell pepper, cut into 1 inch squares
• 1  medium red onion, sliced into rings

• For the Pasta

• 1  lb pasta (linguini or your choice)
• 1  tablespoon parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, and salt. Marinate chicken breasts in mixture at room temperature for 10 to 20 minutes. Broil chicken until cooked through (10 minutes). Cut into ½ inch cubes. Set aside or refrigerate.
3. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the sliced Andouille sausage, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender (10 minutes). Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, soy sauce, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir to blend and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
4. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the Pickapeppa Sauce, soy sauce, and olive oil until thoroughly blended. Add pepper and onions to mixture. Grill or broil coated vegetables until evenly browned (4 to 5 minutes).
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 5 to 6 minutes for dry pasta or about 3 minutes for fresh pasta. Meanwhile, in a covered medium sized saucepan over medium low heat, combine the peppers and onion, grilled chicken cubes, and the Jambalaya sauce (remove the bay leaf). Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Transfer to a large mixing and serving bowl. Drain the pasta thoroughly, add it to the sauce, and toss well. Serve family style or in individual serving bowls, garnished with chopped parsley.