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Jambalaya
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
2 hrs
 

the spicy kick of chorizo and the melt-in-your-mouth shredded chicken blended with herbs and peppers for a FAB one pot meal - MAKE A DOUBLE BATCH! you will be glad you did!

Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Snack, stew
Cuisine: cajun, creole, French, louisiana, spanish, west african
Keyword: chicken, chorizo, fried rice, green peppers, red peppers, stew
Author: maura
Ingredients
Meat
  • 1 lb chicken use rotisserie for convenience, see note
  • 1 lb chorizo see notes
Vegetables
  • 1 onion
  • 1 green pepper, chopped
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 4 scallions, sliced
Herbs / Spices
  • 1-2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1-2 tsp dried basil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2-3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
  • 1-2 tsp Tabasco sauce (sub any hot sauce of choice)
  • 2-3 tsp dried oregano
  • dash of cayenne (more = spicy)
  • salt and pepper to season
Liquid Ingredients
  • 2 TBSP vegetable oil (any flavorless oil, i.e. grapeseed, canola)
  • 1 14.5 ounce diced tomatoes with juices, canned
  • 48 ounces chicken broth
Rice
  • 1 cup dried white rice, uncooked cook according to package instructions
Instructions

  1. Prepare sausage in advance in large pot, set aside and slice. Remove all chicken from the bones and set aside. Save bones in airtight bag and freeze for making chicken stock.

  2. Using same large sauce pan, add oil and let heat up on medium heat.

  3. Add onions and let soften, ~5-10 min.

  4. Add celery and red/green peppers, and scallions and cook another 5 min., stirring occasionally.

  5. Add all the herbs and spices, stirring to combine fully and to allow the aromas to develop, ~ 3 min.

  6. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer ~ 30 min.

  7. Add reserved sausage and chicken and allow to simmer for 30 min. longer.

  8. As the jambalaya is simmer, make the rice, according to package instructions. 1 cup of dried white rice = ~ 3 cups cooked rice. Set aside to cool then fluff with a fork. Do not stir or it will get clumpy and mushy.

  9. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

  10. After simmering the jamabalaya for ~ 1 hr, add rice to the pot 1 cup at a time. Here is where you can decide if you'd like more of a soup consistency (less rice). Adding more rice will absorb the liquid and make for a hearty 'stew' consistency. This is what I prefer.

  11. See notes for more details re: rice.

  12. This would be so delicious served with some corn bread, which I did not do but will absolutely do next time! I will post my recipe then.

Recipe Notes
  • I recommend making a DOUBLE batch!  
  • may cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs and cut into bite-sized pieces instead of using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.
  • may sub andouille, kielbasa or any type of sausage you prefer.
  • to reduce the fat in this recipe, use delicious turkey kielbasa, chicken sausage or any other plant-based option
  • adding rice in smaller amounts will allow you to control the consistency of the dish. if you add too much rice too soon, you will lose some of the richness and flavor of the 'broth' and it will become very mushy.  
  • you may choose to omit rice all together and this will make a lovely 'soup' dish as well.  
  • as an alternative, you could also add dried rice to the simmering pot after ~1hr and allow the rice to cook in the 'stew', usually rice takes ~17 min. on a low burner with the cover on.  I find I have less control with the consistency b/c by adding too much rice, it dilutes the flavors of the 'broth'.  
  • I freeze half WITHOUT RICE ADDED, and add rice to the portion that I will eat for dinner and leftovers for the next few days. 
  • When you pull the frozen portions out, add rice.  Rice does not freeze well and makes a very mushy meal when defrosted.