Jambalaya

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Writing descriptions is harder than I thought it'd be.

• Serves 3-4 depending on your stomachs.

• Skill Level: 3

• Spice Level: 2

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Here’s what you need to make the thing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided.

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces.

• 1 andouille sausage, thinly sliced into rounds.

• 2 small bell peppers, cored and diced.

• 2 ribs celery, diced.

• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped.

• 1/2 white onion, diced.

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced.

• 1/2 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes.

• 2 cups chicken stock.

• 1 cups uncooked long grain white rice.

• 1 tablespoons Cajun seasoning or Creole seasoning.

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed.

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.

• 1 bay leaf.

• 1/2 lb raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined.

• 1/2c thinly-sliced okra

• Kosher salt

• Freshly-cracked black pepper.

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Here’s how to make the thing:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a stock pot (or a very large, deep sauté pan) over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and sausage and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sausage is lightly browned.  Transfer to a clean plate and set aside.

2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the stock pot.  Add bell peppers, celery, jalapeño, onion and garlic. Sauté for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened.

3. Add crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, rice, Cajun seasoning, thyme, cayenne, bay leaf, and stir to combine.  Cook until the mixture reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the rice is nearly cooked through, stirring every 5 minutes or so along the way so that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.

4. Add the shrimp, okra, and stir to combine. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through and pink. Stir in the chicken and sausage, and remove and discard the bay leaf.

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper

6. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!

• Notes:

  Feel free to adjust ingredients to personal taste.

  • I did not use okra or shrimp when I last made this dish. Increasing the amounts of the meat and other vegatables to compensate.

  • If you are sensitive to spice, try swapping paprika for the cayenne pepper, and chili powder for the Cajun spice. This will effect the overall flavor, but will help with the spice level.