American · Main · Medium
Jambalaya
One pot rice dish loaded with chicken, andouille sausage, and shrimp in a smoky tomato base. A Mardi Gras party in a pot.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Jambalaya, in 5 ideas
- The holy trinity (onion, bell pepper, celery) is the flavor base of Cajun cooking.
- Brown the meats first. Those browned bits dissolve into the rice and flavor everything.
- Do not lift the lid while the rice cooks. The steam is doing the work.
- Andouille sausage brings smoke and spice that regular sausage cannot match.
- Shrimp goes in last so it stays tender instead of turning rubbery.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs, cut into chunks
- 12 oz andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, and 2 celery stalks, all diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1.5 cups long grain rice2 tbsp Cajun seasoning mixed with 1 tsp thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 green onions, sliced
How to make it
Directions
- Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Brown the chicken 5 minutes, then the sausage 3 minutes. Remove both.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery (the holy trinity). Cook 8 minutes until soft.
- Stir in the garlic, Cajun seasoning, and thyme, cook 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, broth, rice, and bay leaves. Return the chicken and sausage.
- Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low 25 minutes until the rice is tender.
- Stir in the shrimp, cover, and cook 5 more minutes until pink.
- Remove bay leaves, fluff, and top with green onions.
Jambalaya is better the next day. The rice absorbs even more flavor overnight. Reheat with a splash of broth.