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Creole Jambalaya

Jambalaya is a wildly popular dish that originated in New Orleans and was inspired by flavors from around the world—Spanish, West African, and French to name a few. It's spicy, hearty, and incredibly flavorful. And as with most things, the better ingredients, the better the end result will taste.
You can add all different types of ingredients to a jambalaya, like crawfish, chicken, okra, or carrots, but what absolutely must be present is perfectly cooked long grain rice and sausage, traditionally andouille. This is the base of our recipe but we also add some plump shrimp to round out the dish.
Servings: 4
Author: Delish

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 bell peppers chopped
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 6 ounces andouille sausage sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
  • 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup long grain rice
  • 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning or cajun seasoning
  • 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 2 green onions thinly sliced

Instructions

  • In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the oil.
  • Add the onion and bell peppers and season with salt and pepper.
  • Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the chicken and season with salt, pepper, and oregano.
  • Cook until the chicken is golden, about 5 minutes, then stir in the andouille sausage, garlic, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
  • Add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, and Old Bay.
  • Reduce heat to medium low, cover with a tight fitting lid, and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is almost absorbed, about 20 minutes.
  • Add the shrimp and cook until pink, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Stir in green onions just before serving.

Notes

  • In the Delish kitchen, we prefer to keep our shrimp with their tails because they hold a ton of flavor. Without them, you lose some of that classic seafood essence synonymous with recipes like jambalaya and gumbo.
  • This isn't just any sausage, this is THE sausage. Andouille is a staple of Creole cooking, characterized by its smoky flavor and specific blend of spices.
  • Long grain is best. Other types of rice might get mushy or clump together when cooked in this style. Just be sure you're getting the classic kind, not quick-cooking.
  • One more note on rice—don't forget to rinse it! Add your rice to a strainer and rinse until the water runs clear.

User comment:

  • Old Bay doesn't strike me as the right seasoning to use for Jambalaya. It's a mid-Atlantic seasoning at home with crab. Should use some version of a Cajun seasoning.