Jambalaya-Stuffed Bell Peppers

January 29, 2019

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Yields: 8 Servings

Ingredients

8 medium assorted bell peppers (about 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
¾ pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
¾ pound tasso, cut into ½-inch pieces
¾ pound andouille sausage, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup chopped red onion
¾ cup chopped green bell pepper
½ cup chopped celery
5 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cups long-grain white rice
2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
½ cup water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cut ½ inch off top of stem end of each bell pepper. (Reserve tops; discard seeds and membranes.) Place peppers in a 3½-quart oval baking dish.
In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink on outside, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove chicken using a slotted spoon, and place in a bowl.
Add tasso and andouille to Dutch oven; cook, stirring occasionally, until meat has lightly browned and released drippings, 5 to 8 minutes. (Reduce heat as necessary to prevent overbrowning.) Remove tasso mixture using a slotted spoon, and transfer to bowl with chicken, reserving drippings in Dutch oven.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion, chopped bell pepper, celery, and garlic to pot; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Return chicken mixture to pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook until rice is tender, 20 to 28 minutes, scraping browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven well toward end of cooking time.
Discard bay leaf; add thyme. Season rice with salt and pepper. Spoon rice mixture into peppers, mounding high (about 1 cup each). Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; cover with reserved tops. Pour ½ cup water in bottom of baking dish. Cover with foil.
Bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until peppers are tender and stuffing is heated through, 20 to 25 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Notes

KITCHEN TIP:
If rice is more al dente than desired, add ¼ cup to ½ cup more broth or water at a time to pot; cover and continue to cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes.