Shrimp, Chicken, and Sausage Jambalaya

Jambalaya provides an interesting mix of spice, rice, meat and shrimp. A friend of mine who grew up in New Orleans says this recipe tastes just like his mother used to make.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings servings

Calories 516kcal

Ingredients

2 medium onions
2 celery stalks
1 medium red bell pepper cored and seeded
1 pound Andouille sausage
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
8 garlic cloves minced
3 cups white rice I like Basmati
2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp of thyme dried or fresh
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 28- ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 8- ounce bottle of clam juice
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 bay leaves
2 pounds shrimp peeled and deveined

Instructions

Chop the onions, celery, and red pepper.
Slice the sausage into 1/4" pieces.
Heat the oil in the large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken and cook until browned (about 5 minutes).
Turn the chicken over and cook the other side until browned (another 5 minutes).
Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the sausage and cook until browned, stirring frequently (about 3 minutes).
Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the chopped vegetables and the minced garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened (about 4 minutes).
Add the rice, salt, thyme and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is coated (about 1 minute).
Stir in the tomatoes, clam juice, chicken broth, bay leaves and browned sausage.
Place the chicken on top of the rice mixture.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover.
Simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir the mixture keeping the chicken on the top.
Simmer for another 10 minutes (the chicken should no longer be pink inside).
Transfer the chicken to a clean plate, and set aside.
Sprinkle the shrimp over the rice, cover and cook until the rice is cooked through (it should be opaque and pink - about 5 minutes).
Meanwhile, shred the chicken using 2 forks - 1 to hold the chicken, and the second to pull the meat apart into strands.
When the shrimp are cooked, add the chicken to the rice and stir.
Serve. Makes 12 main-course sized servings.

Notes

Pots and Pans:

Large stock pot or dutch oven

3 plates

For parties, I transfer the jambalaya to a 6-quart crock pot set to "Warm" and let people help themselves. It still tastes good hours later.

Nutrition