Sunny's Simple Jambalaya

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 8 to 10 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 25 min
  • Active: 1 hr
To me, jambalaya is one of the three main dishes in New Orleans that happily involve rice. There’s gumbo, a nice stew served poured over or aside rice, and etouffée which has a bit of a thicker sauce. Jambalaya stands apart from those two in that it’s made all in one pot, rice included. This is simple cooking — you can add shrimp at the end, as here, but I often do not and instead use this recipe to clean out the meat section of my refrigerator. I can also admit to sometimes using rotisserie chicken or pork chops in place of the meat here. Whatever works, works!
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Ingredients

Meat:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds

1 pound boneless, skinless dark meat chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, such as Tony Chachere’s

Veggies:

10 to 12 sprigs thyme, destemmed and finely chopped

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 large sweet onion, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon filé powder, plus more for dusting, such as Zatarain’s

One 14-ounce can or 1 3/4 cups crushed tomatoes

To Finish:

1 tablespoon roasted chicken stock base, such as Better Than Bouillon

1 1/2 cups long-grain rice

8 ounces large shelled and deveined shrimp, tails removed

2 to 3 shakes hot sauce, such as Crystal Hot Sauce

2 scallions, green parts only thinly sliced on the bias (white parts saved for another recipe)

Directions

  1. For the meat: Add the oil to a large pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to swirl, add the sausage and allow the rounds to get color while stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot. Add the chicken and Cajun seasoning to the pot. Cook to get color on the chicken just like the sausage, 6 to 8 minutes, then remove to the same plate with a slotted spoon.
  2. For the veggies: Lower the heat to medium. Add the thyme, celery, bell peppers, onion, red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt (remember the Cajun seasoning has salt!) and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook while stirring until everything is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the filé powder and crushed tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the color deepens and the contents of the pot thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. To finish: Add the chicken stock base and 4 cups water to the pot. Return the chicken and sausage and any collected juices to the pot. Stir in the rice. Turn the heat down to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes.
  4. Add the shrimp to the pot along with a few shakes of hot sauce. Stir and cover. Cook until the shrimp is pink and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Serve topped with the scallion greens and a dusting of filé powder.

Let's Get Cooking!

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Anonymous

Easy to make but a little too hot for my taste. The heat masked all the delicious flavors. Next time I will try half the cajun seasoning.

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