Cajun Jambalaya

As a kid growing up in the 1980’s I watched a lot of PBS. Yeah, I watched all of the kids shows, but I also spent a lot of time watching Frugal Gourmet and Louisiana Cookin’ with Justin Wilson. At a young age, I would use Wilson’s catch phrase “I Gar-on-tee,” as if it’s totally normal for a 5 year old do.

But the real fan of the show was my dad. At some point, he was inspired to cook jambalaya for the family. This was a big deal since he rarely cooked unless it involved the grill. Now he spends a lot of time on the kitchen, but in 1987 or so, it was not a common occurrence.

Whenever this event happened, my love of jambalaya and other cajun staples began. Now, every winter, I make sure jambalaya makes an appearance a few times, not just Mardi Gras.

Ingredients

• 10 oz of andouille sausage - cut into “coins”

• 1-ish pounds of boneless/skinless chicken thighs

• 1 large yellow onion - diced

• 1 pablano pepper - seeded and diced

• 1 jalapeño - seeded and diced

• 1 green bell pepper - diced

• 2 stalks of celery - diced

• 4 cloves of garlic - thinly sliced

• 1 lb of peeled and deveined shrimp - remove tails

• 2 dried bay leafs

• 1/2 tsp cayenne powder

• 1 tbsp paprika

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• A few dashes of hot sauce

• 1 1/2 cups of long grain white rice

• 4 cups of chicken stock

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 bunch of scallions - finely chopped

• 1/4 cup of parsley - finely chopped

• Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper - to taste

Method

1. Heat a large, thick bottomed pot, over medium - high heat

2. Add the olive oil to the pot

3. Once the oil is shimmering, add the andouille sausage and brown on both sides

4. Once the andouille is browned, remove from pot and set aside

5. Season the chicken thighs with kosher salt and black pepper and brown both sides - this may need to be done in batches so you are not over-crowding the pot

6. Once the chicken is browned, removed and set aside

7. Add the onions to the pot, season with kosher salt and pepper

8. Add in the peppers, celery and garlic. Stir to combine and cook until the onions are clear

9. Add the bay leaves, cayenne, paprika, thyme, oregano and hot sauce - stir to combine

10. Add the rice and stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes to toast the rice

11. Dice the chicken thighs into bite-sized cubes and add back into the pot along with the andouille

12. Stir to combine and add the chicken stock

13. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer

14. Cover the pot and simmer uninterrupted for 30 minutes

15. After 30 minutes. stir in the majority of scallions and parsley - reserve some for garnish

16. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary

17. Place the shrimp on top and cover pot

18. Once the shrimp is done, carefully stir the jambalaya

19. Serve with a garnish of parsley, scallions and hot sauce as well as a side of cornbread