I am on a low oxalate kick. Even though this recipe for a simple chicken jambalaya is geared towards people with kidney issues, that shouldn’t stop everyone from trying this dish! Since 2015 has started I’ve really been working on trying to create healthy, delicious recipes that are kidney diet friendly. Watching Heather in pain from calcium build up, and her weak renal artery hasn’t been fun. I love my wife and want her to be healthy! I’m still trying to understand why all of these healthy foods that are so high in oxalate, are bad for Heather! Spinach! Beets! Almonds! All bad for Heather’s kidneys! She can still eat them but in smaller quantities. Sadly she can’t drink much alcohol either.
It’s frustrating, but as a chef I am up to the challenge, especially when there are a lot of vegetables that she can still have. Peas, cabbage, onions and garlic are just some of the vegetables that are fair game.
A lot of my dishes are meant to be simple. They are something that can be made in a reasonable amount of time with a reasonable amount of ingredients on any day of the week. This chicken jambalaya is no different.
- 1.5 lbs of chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon of High Quality Garlic Salt
- 1 teaspoon of Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Montreal steak spice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
- 2 cups of White or Wild Rice
- 4 cups of chicken stock
- 1 red pepper 1/4" dice
- 1/4 white onion 1/4" dice
- 1/2 cup of green peas
- 1 teaspoon of Chipotle Powder
- 1 teaspoon of dried basil
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1 cup of Canned Chopped Tomatoes Organic
- 2 cups of Organic Tomato Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
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Cook the rice according to the instructions on the box. Use the chicken stock in place of water.
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Heat up on high heat a large saute pan with the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
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Season the chicken breasts well with the spices and sear in the pan until golden brown.
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Add in the peppers, onions, and the jambalaya spices to the pan and put into a 375 degree F oven and cook until the chicken is cooked to 165 degrees F.
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Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside. Keep warm.
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Make sure the spices are well cooked out and then add in the chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, and peas and let come to a simmer.
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Add in cooked rice and mix together well. Serve on plates with slices of chicken on top.
My goal over the next little while is to keep creating these healthy, kidney friendly meals that are perfect for a low oxalate diet. I would love to know if any of my readers out there suffer from similar symptoms that Heather suffers from. Let me know some food items that you like to cook with. I’m always looking for more ideas! Throw a comment down below and let’s chat about it!
Isn’t tomatoes a high oxalate food?
Hey Patty I believe you are correct. This is an older recipe which I will be updating as I am learning more about kidney sensitive diets. Stay tuned for an update!
HI Matt
Just discovered your low oxalate recipes. Wow, an actual chef paying attention to this issue. We need more people like you. Just wanted to share a low oxalate recipe we like as it might inspire you: brush halved red peppers in oil and stuff with cooked white rice, bacon and feta cheese. Season and stuff mixture into pepper half. Bake for 20 mins on 180c then add cheddar cheese to top and bake another 10.
Thanks Deborah! Yeah my wife had some pretty bad kidney issues and we were told about oxalate and I was shocked that she couldn’t eat things like almonds or spinach! Thanks for the recipe! =-)
Hi Matt
Stumbled upon your blog while trying to find things I can eat AND drink that are low in oxalate. I pulled up a list of high oxalate foods/drinks and hit the floor. Most of which I use to eat a lot of, now I’m struggling to find alternatives that taste half as good. I love collard greens and mashed potatoes but of course, can’t have those, but I did find frozen cauliflower mash that I actually enjoy. In case you can’t tell, I don’t cook much but I’m trying a few easy recipes and your Chicken Jambalaya sounds great, I’ll try it out, minus the tomatoes, not a fan of them anyway so no loss there. And thanks for these great recipes, keep em coming.
Hi Chris thanks for stopping by! It’s crazy right? Not being able to eat things like spinach and almonds just doesn’t make sense to me! Definitely follow along I try to post at least a couple recipes per month that are low oxalate. Feel free to sign up for my newsletter too! Take care for now!
Hi Matt
Low oxalate diets are quite bland but you do become accustomed to them. Very limited food choices and herbs and spices. But good for trying. I like your recipes just need to tweak a few here and there. Great ideas. There are heaps of sites you can look at, but if you do have serious kidney problems or stones, I would really entice you to stay on a strict diet. I have been on it for about 6 months and I can feel a small difference but it also helps for inflammation through out the body. Long haul but will be worth it. Fingers crossed
Thanks Again,
Thanks Sandra! Yeah I know it’s definitely tough with basically all food options containing some amount of oxalate in it!
Hi Matt,
I am so encouraged by your wanting to help your wife and other enjoy food on a low oxalate diet. I bought a popular low oxalate cookbook recently, and I was dismayed that almost every dinner recipe had cheese in it! I like the recipes that you have so far, as they are very healthy and clean.
I am feeling much better on the low oxalate diet. I hope that you continue to come up with creative ideas for us!
Blessings!
Melissa
Thanks for your kind words Melissa! I will do my best! haha