Jambalaya (Creole / Cajun)

Jambalaya is an American Creole and Cajun rice dish of French, especially Provençal cuisine, African, and Spanish influence, consisting mainly of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. This is an authentic one pot meal from New Orleans. It is pure comfort food packed with chicken and shrimp, andouille sausage, rice, seasonings, spices and punchy flavours throughout.

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Cuisine: Creole / Cajun, North America

Courses: Mains

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 tbsp oil (cooking)
2 tbsp cajun seasoning
300 g andouille sausage
454 g chicken (thighs, skinless, boneless)
1 onion (diced)
1 pepper (green, diced)
1 pepper (red, diced)
2 celery (stalks)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
440 g tomatoes (crushed)
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme (dried)
1 tsp oregano (dried)
½ tsp cayenne
½ tsp hot sauce
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
105 g okra (slice)
290 g rice (short)
750 ml chicken stock
454 g shrimp (raw)
spring onion (garnish)
parsley (flat leaf, garnish)

Instructions

1
Over a medium heat pour 1 tbsp of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Season the chicken and sausage pieces with half of the Cajun.
2
Brown the sausage in medium to hot oil then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pot and sauté the chicken until lightly browned. Remove the meat and set aside.
The chicken is only being browned at this stage, not necessarily cooked through. Keep the browned chicken and utensils that touched it away from ready-to-eat ingredients until the later simmer is complete.
3
Sauté the onion, pepper and celery until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook f0r 30 to 60 seconds.
4
Stir in the tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, cayenne, the hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and all remaining Cajun seasoning. Stir in the okra, chicken and finally the sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
5
Add in the rice followed by the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a low medium heat. Cover and let it all simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked, while stirring occasionally.
Keep the covered mixture at a steady simmer and check both the rice and a thick piece of chicken before moving on; absorbed liquid alone does not confirm the chicken is cooked through.
6
Place the shrimp on top of the Jambalaya mixture, stir through gently and cover with the lid. Allow to simmer again while stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through and pink about 4 to 5.
Cook the prawns until opaque and firm throughout. Their size affects the timing, so use appearance and texture rather than treating 4 to 5 minutes as an absolute time.
7
Finally, season again with a little extra salt and pepper if needed and remove from the heat. Add extra hot sauce, Cayenne or Cajun should you so desire.
8
Serve immediately with the sliced springs onions and parsley.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 6

Amount Per Serving
Calories 597.96kcal

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 24.67g38%
Saturated Fat 6.48g33%
Sodium 1564.05mg66%
Total Carbohydrate 50.41g17%
Dietary Fiber 4.03g17%
Sugars 6.43g
Protein 43.59g88%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.