1 teaspoon canola oil

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken, cubed

1 large dry wine chorizo, sliced

      or

1½ cups diced ham

1 medium onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, washed & diced

1 large green pepper, diced

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup of long grain white rice

3 cups chicken stock

1-2 tablespoons Cajun or Creole spice blend *

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Optional:  ½ lb. peeled prawns

Creole variation:

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

2 cups tomato (or V8) juice - decrease chicken stock to 1 cup

Heat a large cast iron frying pan well over high heat.  Add oil, and tilt pan to coat bottom.  Add chorizo slices (or ham) and sautée until they start to give up their own fat a little, or take on a bit of colour.   Add cubed chicken, and stir well, but don't allow chicken to brown.  Add the onion, celery, & green pepper (and jalapeno, if using) and stir.  If your sausage was really fatty, you can drain some off if you like.

Cook until the onion turns nicely translucent, then add the garlic, hot pepper sauce, salt and spices.  If you are making the Creole variation, add the tomatoes now.  Stir well.

Stir in rice, making sure that each grain gets well coated by the juices in the pan.  Add the chicken stock (and tomato juice, for Creole) and stir again, making sure that the rice grains are all submerged.   Bring up to a simmer.

Turn heat to very low, cover pan, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring gently once at the ten minute mark.  Then, if using shrimp, stir gently into the rice mixture and leave covered for another five minutes.  Garnish with a little cilantro, if you like, and lots of black pepper.  Pass the hot sauce.

* or, make your own Cajun blend from ground dried herbs: 

1 Tbsp paprika 

1 tsp. salt  (optional)

1 Tbsp. garlic granules 

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. onion powder 

1 tsp. cayenne powder 

1 tsp. oregano  

1 tsp. thyme   

Mix together, and store extra until needed.