About the Recipe
There is a whole lot of spice in this Chicken and Tasso Jambalaya and that’s what makes it so good. The Smoked Tasso is really key to this recipe. So, what is Tasso? Tasso is a type of pork or meat used in Cajun-style cuisine. Though it’s often referred to as tasso ham, it technically isn’t ham. Tasso is made from the pork shoulder.
Tasso is used as an ingredient to add it's beautiful flavor to Cajun-style dishes such as gumbo and jambalaya. Tasso is seasoned with brown sugar and many traditional creole spices (we add cinnamon!) The meat is then smoked for up to 48 hours allowing the seasoning to infuse with the meat. The end product is a moderately tangy, slightly spicy, very smoky meat.
Ingredients
2 bay leaves
1 /2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound chopped Stoysich Smoked Tasso
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup chopped onion, divided
1 cup chopped celery, divided
1 cup chopped green bell pepper, divided
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 914-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups long grain rice, uncooked
Preparation
Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add tasso and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add chicken and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often. Add seasoning mix and half the onion, celery, and green pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, remaining onion, celery, and green pepper.
Add chicken stock and rice and stir to mix. Transfer mixture to 9-inch baking dish. Bake uncovered for 60 minutes. Stir well and remove bay leaves.