Chef’s note: I grew up eating my mom’s Arroz con Pollo – still one of my all-time favorite things she makes. Jambalaya is very similar, though as Chef Emeril Lagasse would say, it is “kicked up a notch!” I love New Orleans, and their incredible diversity of culture, food and language. So, to channel their amazing spirit, I highly recommend playing some Cajun music while you make your own version of Jambalaya. It’s what I do, and it just makes my heart even happier in my happiest of places – my kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1⁄2 pounds andouille sausage, sliced diagonally 1⁄2 inch thick
- 8 chicken thighs (boneless, skin on, and pat the skin dry!!!)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, diced
- 2 cups celery, diced (about 3 large stalks)
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained and medium-diced
- 2 minced seeded jalapeño peppers (small ones)
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio (plus a glass for the chef!)
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups extra-long-grain white rice (I use Carolina)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 pound (16- to 20-count) shrimp, tails on, peeled and deveined
- 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
- 1⁄2 cup sliced scallions, white and green parts, plus extra for garnish
- 1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a very large (13-inch) Dutch oven or stockpot, add the sausage, and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning the pieces until browned. Remove the sausage to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pot, skin side down, and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, until browned. With tongs, turn and cook for another 5 minutes, until browned. Don't be tempted to cook both the sausage and chicken together! They won't brown properly if you do. You've been warned! Remove chicken to the bowl with the sausage and set aside.
Add the butter to the oil in the pot, then add the onions, bell peppers, celery, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook over medium to medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, cayenne, and 1- teaspoons salt, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the white wine and scrape up the browned bits in the pot. Add the stock, rice, sausage, chicken, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the shrimp and simmer covered for 5 more minutes. Off the heat, stir in the parsley, scallions, and lemon juice. Cover and allow to steam for 10 to 15 minutes, until the rice is tender and the shrimp are fully cooked. Discard the bay leaves, sprinkle with extra parsley and scallions, and serve hot!
Enjoy!