Junkanoo Chicken With Rice

I was always curious about the origins of the Junkanoo Festival and when I was checking it out I found this interesting recipe. I also found out that the festival not the rice, is named after a West Indian slave who was named John Canoe. They wear costumes and masks, long ago they were on stilts, and this way they can roam without being identified. They celebrate it on December 26th and on January 1st and they celebrate from dawn through the night.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup  sliced mushrooms
• 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 1  small onion, sliced
• 1 1⁄4 cups chicken broth
• 1  red peppers or 1  yellow sweet pepper, cut into strips
•  red pepper, diced
• 2  zucchini, sliced
• 2  tablespoons cornstarch
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2  cups  cooked chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 10  ounces  mahatma yellow rice
• 3 1⁄3 cups tomato juice or 3 1⁄3 cups  v- 8  vegetable juice
• 1  stalk celery, chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon soy sauce (to taste)
•  hot sauce (optional)
•  parsley, garnish for rice

Directions

1. Prepare rice according to package directions, except, substituting tomato juice for water, with chopped celery and diced red pepper.
2. Heat oil in large skillet and sauté onions, peppers, zucchinis and mushrooms.
3. Whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce, starch and ginger in a separate bowl.
4. Add liquid mixture to vegetables and cook over a low heat until it boils and thickens, stirring frequently.
5. Add chicken and stir gently until hot.
6. Add hot sauce, if using.
7. Serve over hot bed of rice sprinkled with chopped parsley.