UpNorthica

It’s hard to go wrong when cooking Cajun jambalaya –  at home. “If it’s in the kitchen, it can go in the pot,” is about as close a dictionary definition of the word, as you’ll find. But how to make a trail-friendly jambalaya with minimum prep and dishes, without resulting in just a heavily-peppered Rice-A-Roni? Not as easy.

Optimized for minimal prep work, this dish needs only a pot, a large cup, a spork and a cutting knife, so this is very much a 1-pot meal. Any chopping is coarsely done, right in the pot. The only item requiring cold storage, is optional. Even the rice mix base has a comparitively quick cooking time. Bada-bing…

But what makes this recipe a ga-ron-teed winner, is not only its savory-spicy flavors; it’s also very scalable. Skipping the chicken, you’d still have Cajun dirty rice so good that it’s downright Filthy. Or add to it, some frozen andouille sausage links and you’ll nearly double the number of flavors (and most importantly, the servings)….Bada-BAM! Eat up.

Click below for full recipe.

Campfire Jambalaya
Feeds 4-5 adults

Ingredients
1-pkg Lipton Cajun Sides Dirty Rice
2-pkg Tyson foil wrapped, pre-cooked chicken strips
2-3 frozen andouille sausage links (optional)
1/2c sun-dried tomatoes
1-small onion, chopped coarsely (in pot)
4-6 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely (in pot)
2-whole bay leaves, dried
1-tbsp cooking oil or butter
2-pinches of salt
2-pinches of pepper
Cayenne powder, to taste

Preparation
In a large cup/small pan, re-hydrate the sun-dried tomatoes in 1 cup of boiling water for 15 minutes. Do not drain; save water for later.
Chunk up sausage (if using) in pot. Brown over medium-high flame. Do not drain.
Turn the heat down to medium and brown the garlic in the oil and sausage for roughly 2 minutes.
Add the onion, salt, pepper and desired cayenne. Stir mixture until onion is brown, transparent and soft.
Pour in ingredients of the rice mix, bay leaves, tomatoes and tomato water. Add remaining amount of water according to directions on package. Cook mixture according to time on package. Add chicken and stir until warmed, about 3 minutes. Serve.