Jambalaya!

"Goodbye Joe, me gotta go, me-oh-my-oh!"

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 chorizo sausages, thinly sliced into rounds (use dry cured chorizo, not fresh)

2 tbsp Saucy Wench Green Chilli Paste or Saucy Wench Chilli Oil

1 red capsicum, diced

1 green capsicum, diced

2 celery sticks, diced

1 brown onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 can crushed tomatoes

3-4 cups chicken stock

1 ½ cups uncooked long grain white rice

1 tsp ground paprika

2 tsp dried mixed herbs

1 tsp onion salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 bunch fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

600g raw prawns, peeled and de-veined, tails intact

1 cup thinly-sliced okra (optional; but it’s really yummy)

Salt to taste

Chopped fresh parsley; sliced eschallots or spring onions

1. Heat oil in a wok (not very Cajun, but if you have a large wide pan, use that) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sausage and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sausage is lightly browned. Transfer to a clean plate and set aside.

2. Add Saucy Wench Green Chilli Paste or Chilli Oil to the oil remaining in the wok and fry lightly for about 30 seconds. Add chopped capsicum, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened.

3. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, rice, spices and mixed herbs, thyme, cayenne, bay leaf, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is nearly cooked through, stirring every 5 minutes or so along the way so that the rice does not burn.

4. Add the prawns, okra, and stir to combine. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the prawns are cooked through and pink. Stir in the chicken and sausage, and remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs

5. Season the jambalaya with salt if needed, depending on the chicken stock used and then remove from heat.

6. Serve warm sprinkled with chopped spring onion/ eschallots and parsley, with a tomato and cucumber salad.