Post by Kate on Feb 26, 2017 0:20:00 GMT -5
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 white onion, diced
1 small red bell pepper, cored and diced
1 small yellow bell pepper, cored and diced
1 small green bell pepper, cored and diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (*more/less to taste, see note below)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 boneless chicken breast and 2 boneless thighs (skin before dicing), cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound andouille sausage, thinly sliced into rounds
3 cups chicken stock
1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1½ cups uncooked white or brown rice
2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning (†more/less to taste, see note below)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. thyme, crushed
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (leave tail shell on shrimp)
1 cup thinly-sliced okra
salt and pepper
(optional garnishes: chopped fresh parsley, thinly-sliced green onions, hot sauce)
Directions: Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, bell peppers, jalapeno and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and mostly cooked. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil, chicken and sausage and stir to combine. Continue sautéing for an additional 5 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink and mostly cooked.
Add chicken stock, tomatoes, rice, Cajun seasoning, bay leaf, thyme and cayenne, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked, stirring occasionally. (Don't forget to stir, or the rice may burn on the bottom of the pan.)
Once the rice is tender, add in the shrimp and okra and stir to combine. Let the mixture continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked and pink. Remove bay leaf and season the jambalaya with salt and pepper and hot sauce and additional Cajun seasoning if needed. Remove from heat.
Serve warm with optional garnishes if desired. Or refrigerate and store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
*If you like spicy jambalaya, add 2 jalapenos and their seeds. If you like it mild, go with just 1 seeded jalapeno. Or you can go somewhere in between and always add extra hot sauce at the end if it's too mild.
†If you like heavily-seasoned jambalaya, go with a full 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning. If you think this might be too much, add just 1 Tbsp. and then taste-test the rice before adding shrimp. If you want to add more at this point, just stir some extra seasoning in with the shrimp.
Note: I prefer cooking and serving in a big iron skillet, but any skillet will do.
Sources: Gimme some Oven and Southern Living.
