Weeknight Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 4 to 6 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 10 min
  • Active: 25 min
Jambalaya traditionally contains sausage of some sort, often a smoked sausage such as andouille, along with some other meat or seafood, frequently pork, chicken, crawfish, or shrimp. Andouille is a coarse-grained smoked sausage made using smoked pork shoulder, garlic, pepper, onions, wine, and seasonings. The vegetable base is a combination of onion, celery, and green bell pepper known as the "holy trinity." I find that green bell peppers can be difficult to digest, so I use poblano peppers instead. They are far more flavorful and complex and less likely to cause digestive distress. For generations, some of the most flavorful rice Americans have eaten has been jasmine rice imported to the United States from Asia. Twelve years ago, the Louisiana State University AgCenter started a project to increase rice production in Louisiana, and the state is now the third largest rice-producing state in the United States.
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Ingredients

2 tablespoons pure olive oil

12 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into rounds

6 bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (2 pounds)

1 tablespoon Homemade Creole Seasoning (recipe follows)

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped

1 garlic clove, very finely chopped

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati

1/2 cup tomato puree

2 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock or reduced-sodium low-fat chicken broth

Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Homemade Creole Seasoning

2 tablespoons freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoons cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried sage

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and cook until the meat starts to brown and the fat renders, 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate. Add the chicken and sprinkle the Creole seasoning over the chicken. Cook until the chicken is just beginning to color, 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the plate with the sausage.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium and then add the onion, celery, and poblano pepper to the residual oil in the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to color, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the rice and stir to coat. Stir in the tomato puree and stock and bring to a boil. Return the chicken and sausage to the skillet. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, stirring once, until the rice is tender and the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced with the tip of a knife, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. 

Homemade Creole Seasoning

  1. Combine all ingredients in a small airtight container or mason jar. Shake to combine. Store in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

Let's Get Cooking!

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cmarin2010

10 outta 10 for sure! The seasoning recipe alone is worth the 5 STAR review. No, it's not an "under 30 minute meal" but if you prep your Mise-en-Place for this meal on Sunday your 'in-the-kitchen-' time will be under 30mins! Now...the taste; for a Jambalaya this quick I've never tasted anything this phenomenal. I had my doubts about baking rice and having it still be fluffy and loose without being a starchy clump of mashed-potato-like goop. But it was so wonderful. I CHALLENGE YOU ... if you can read every ingredient on the box of ZATARAIN'S with confidence, and perfect pronunciation, and know their definition without fear of what that can do to your body, than, sure...grab that box and hope for the best. But if you have an extra 20 minutes of your life, you body and TASTEBUDS will go to their knees in gratitude TIP: I used my cast-iron skillet and it was delicious!

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