Maque Choux with Chicken and Turkey Kielbasa

Confession: I have a recipe problem (end confession).  I have collected thousands of recipes in word documents over the years.  I also like to constantly make new dishes, but can't ever decide what to make.  Every once in awhile, I'll write down the names of 20-30 recipes for which I have the ingredients for (I keep a rather well-stocked pantry/freezer) and have my husband pick the next few recipes that I'm going to make.  He picked this recipe even though he didn't know what maque choux was (and I barely did).  I still didn't know how to pronounce it until about 5 minutes ago when I started writing this post (mock shoe, apparently).  We really liked this- it was very flavorful for so few ingredients.  I served this with spicy slaw and cheddar corn muffins w/ jalepeno butter.

Maque Choux with Chicken and Turkey Kielbasa

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or already cooked, shredded chicken)
salt and ground black pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
6 ounces turkey kielbasa, chopped (the package I used about 12 or 14 oz.)
1 onion, minced (mine was chopped and frozen)
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped medium (part of a bag of frozen Melange a Trois peppers from Trader Joes)
1 pound frozen corn, thawed (2 cans of corn, drained, would would)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I use Trader Joes chicken boullion sticks that get mixed with hot water)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried (I used dried)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (oops, I forgot this, but didn't have fresh anyway)
Rice or quinoa (I used red quinoa that I had frozen previously)
I also threw a handful of shredded purple cabbage, just because it was there

If using raw chicken, pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken lightly on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside. Add remaining teaspoon oil to pot and return to medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add kielbasa, onion, bell pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt to pot and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. While the kielbasa cooks, puree half of corn with broth in blender until smooth. Stir garlic and thyme into pot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in pureed corn mixture, and add browned chicken with any accumulated juices.
Cover and cook until thickest part of chicken registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes (unless using already cooked chicken). Remove chicken from pot and stir in remaining whole corn kernels. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until corn is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, shred chicken. Off heat, stir in shredded chicken and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice with hot sauce.

My tips:

• Every week or two, I like to cook 1 or 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken in the crockpot (8-9 hours on low, 3-4 on high). Once done, I shred it and use it in recipes, on salads, quesadillas, pizza, or just freeze for the future.  I used leftover chicken from earlier in the week for this recipe.  Also, Anderson's Market in Columbus has amazing chicken deals about once a month - usually about $1.79/lb.  They offer about 10 flavors of fresh, marinated chicken (or plain) and they wrap whole or half breasts in freezer paper.  I usually cook one right away and freeze the rest of the packages. 
• If I need onion for a recipe, I chop one using my Cuisinart Hand Stick Blender Chopper (because even after a knife-skills class, I still suck at chopping onions; and it's messy; and my eyes water).  Sometimes I chop a second one since I have the chopper out anyway.  Whatever I don't use for that recipe, I throw in a container in the freezer. 
• Sometimes I mince my garlic using a Chef'n Garlic Zoom. It's not much faster, but it works for when I don't want to pull out a cutting board.  I prefer to just have my husband chop the garlic though!  He tends to use the Garlic Zoom, so it serves a purpose.
• Rice or quinoa: when I need to cook rice or quinoa (I prefer red quinoa), I cook extra and freeze what i don't need.  Brown rice and quinoa hold up well in the freezer - either stick in the fridge overnight to thaw or add a splash of water and defrost in the microwave.  I used extra quinoa that I had in the freezer.  If you've never made quinoa - get some!  I buy it in bulk at Whole Foods for a couple of dollars/lb.