Gulf Coast Chicken-and-Fish Jambalaya

Gulf Coast Chicken-and-Fish Jambalaya

2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 bacon slices
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinned, boned chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pound grouper or other firm white fish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 cup thinly sliced green onion tops, divided
2 (10 1/2-ounce) cans low-salt chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves

Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; crumble and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in pan. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic to bacon drippings in pan. Sprinkle with half of oregano mixture; sauté 10 minutes or until vegetables begin to brown, stirring frequently. Remove vegetables from pan.

Place remaining oregano mixture, chicken, and fish in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake well. Add chicken mixture to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add vegetable mixture, rice, 1/2 cup green onions, broth, tomatoes, and bay leaves to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves. Garnish with crumbled bacon and 1/2 cup green onions.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 2/3cups)

CALORIES 363 (17% from fat); FAT 6.8g (sat 2g,mono 2g,poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 36.5g; CHOLESTEROL 96mg; CALCIUM 108mg; SODIUM 587mg; FIBER 4g; IRON 4.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 38.5g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 1998