CAJUN CHICKEN, SAUSAGE, AND RICE CASSEROLE

CAJUN CHICKEN, SAUSAGE, AND RICE CASSEROLE

Hey Folks! How’s it going? I’ve got this Cajun Chicken, Sausage, and Rice casserole to share with you today and it’s really, really, really good. It all started in February of this year when I got a hankering for some good ol Jambalaya. There was only one problem…. Here in Small Town, USA… I can’t really go out and grab bowl of Jambalaya.

With just a few steps this dish comes together easily and deliciously!

Lets get in the kitchen!

Chop up a medium onion into small pieces.

Mince a few cloves of garlic up!

aaaand dice up a medium green bell pepper.

Throw all of that into a pipin’ hot skillet with a little veggie oil and saute until onions and peppers are soft.

Dice up some Turkey Smoked Sausage!

This is where I’ll probably get yelled at because this isn’t what you would traditionally use in Cajun cuisine, but I make the rules over here in my kitchen so I’ll tell ya what. This is delicious and it works! It also was great timing on Jennie O‘s part because they sent me some of this Hardwood Smoked Turkey Sausage for this month’s Switch Circle Blogger Program. I was using this exact kind of Smoked Turkey Sausage before so it really worked out! I love this stuff, honestly. If you can’t find this exact sausage in your local grocery store you can probably find a different brand of Turkey Smoked Sausage and it’ll work great too! (But, I hope you can find the Jennie O kind because it really is super yummy!)

This is what it looks like just incase you were wondering. I really love this sausage for a lot of different meals including plain ol’ Smoked Sausage Sandwiches. I grew up on those. Just in case this is another “I live in Illinois” thing …Smoked Sausage Sandwiches are quite literally exactly what they sound like. A piece of smoked sausage that has been grilled, stuffed in a bakery roll, and topped off with some ketchup and mustard. It’s so easy and it’s so delicious. We have them a lot around these parts and I almost always use Jennie O Turkey Smoked Sausage for a healthier alternative!

Okay now, cut up a large chicken breast into smallish pieces. Not too big, not too small. Smallish.

Now in a 3 quart or 9×13 casserole dish. Spray it well with cooking spray then add all the goodies. Really in no particular order. You’ll need to add the chicken, turkey smoked sausage, sautéed green peppers, onion, and garlic, cajun seasoning, celery salt, cream of chicken soup, diced tomatoes, and rice. I know it might seem like a really long list of ingredients, but it’s worth it. I promise.

Don’t forget to add the water! Like I almost did. You can also use chicken broth, I just decided to use water since there’s enough flavor going on in this casserole and it’s one less ingredient to add to the party.

Mix it all up real good! It doesn’t look all that appetizing at this point, I know that. I’m sorry.

I know there’s a lot of different Cajun Seasonings out there. This is the one I use! I use it for tons of stuff. I actually LOVE sprinkling it on hardboiled eggs for a quick snack. You can also make your own up. Just use your favorite one and it’ll be good stuff!

I’m taking a picture of this box of foil because well, it’s a very important step in this entire process and I don’t want you to forget. From time to time, I get a message or a comment asking about what could have gone wrong if the rice didn’t cook in a couple of my casseroles featuring rice. My first question is always, “Did you cover it with foil?” 9 out of 10 times, They didn’t cover it with foil. I am GUILTY of not completely reading recipes ALL of the time, so I understand. Trust me! This is just a friendly reminder If you’re reading this and are making this…

Please cover your casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil!

P.S. If your casserole dish comes with a cover.. It probably won’t work. Rice can be kind of finicky and we don’t want to anger it. It likes the foil. I don’t make this stuff up.

Then place that sucker in a preheated 375 degree oven for an hour.

It’ll come outa the oven pipin’ hot and lookin’ a lil somethin’ like this. Fluff it up with a fork and give it a quick mix.

Also, PSA: Your house is going to smell absolutely fantastic!

And your taste buds are going to do jumping jacks and y’all might lose your minds!

Make this immediately.

CAJUN CHICKEN, SAUSAGE, AND RICE

A creamy, cajun-y, spicy comforting casserole featuring sausage, chicken, and rice.

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 medium green bell pepper
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast raw, cut into small pieces
14 oz Turkey Smoked Sausage I use Jennie O, diced into rounds
14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
10.5 oz can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
1 tbsp cajun seasoning a little more if you love spice, a little less if you're not a fan of spice
1 tsp celery salt
cooking spray
1 cup long grain rice uncooked, not minute rice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a hot skillet add vegetable oil, green peppers, onions, and garlic. Sauté until softened. In a 9x13 or 3 quart casserole dish generously spray with cooking spray and then add cooked peppers, onions, and garlic, turkey sausage rounds, raw chicken breast, rice, cream of chicken soup, diced tomatoes, cajun seasoning, celery salt, and water. Mix together well. Cover casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil and place into preheated oven for one hour or until rice is cooked.

Recipe Notes

Serving Size: 1 and 1/4 cup.

6 Freestyle Smart Points (calculated with Weight Watchers Recipe Builder)

7 Smart Points (calculated with Weight Watchers Recipe Builder)

8 Points Plus (calculated with My Score Plus)

335 Calories 8.5g fat, 2g saturated fat, 38g carbohydrates, 2.5g fiber, 3.5g sugar, 27g protein. (calculated with My Fitness Pal)