Not quite authentic Cajun cooking, yet much better than many other recipes you’ll find on a Google search. Recipe following the pictures. No backstory required.




Ingredients:
- 1 pound medium (51-60 count per lb) shrimp (thawed if store bought frozen)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
- 1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced diagonally
- 1 bell pepper (any color), diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 celery ribs, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Fresno pepper, halved and then thinly sliced
- 6 okra pods, sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 3 green onions, sliced diagonally
- 1 28 oz can of diced fire roasted tomatoes (do not drain tomato water)
- 1 quart broth (chicken or vegetable)
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 2 tbsp (or more) smoked paprika
- Cajun spice (recommend Tony Chachere’s Creole blend)
- Olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
Procedure:
- Prep the ingredients accordingly as described above.
- Set a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to pot and swirl to coat surface. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to the pot and “sweat” them until near translucent, about 7-10 minutes. Stir occasionally and adjust heat as needed to prevent burning.
- Meanwhile, set a large pan over medium-high heat. Add a little bit of oil and add chicken when warm. Dust the chicken with Cajun seasoning. Cook until all sides are light brown and set aside from heat, about 5-6 minutes.
- Set a small pan over medium-high heat and add a small bit of oil. Add okra when hot. Saute each side of okra for 1-2 minutes, or brown. This step will remove slime from the okra. Once done set in small bowl.
- After the vegetable mixture has softened and began turning translucent, add garlic, Fresno peppers, paprika, a fair load of Cajun seasoning (probably 3 tbsp), and enough salt and pepper for your preference and stir thoroughly.
- After 1-2 minutes, add rice. Stir thoroughly.
- Immediately after rice is stirred in, add chicken, sausage, can of tomatoes, okra, and broth (your pot will look like picture #2 above). Bring pot to a low boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to medium. Stir every 5 minutes.
- After 15 minutes of cooking, add shrimp and stir.
- Remove lid after 20 minutes of cooking and stir well. The jambalaya may appear stew-like (see photo #3). If you desire less broth, continue cooking with lid off for 2-3 more minutes.
- Serve in bowls, top with sliced green onions.
Notes:
- Most recipes I’ve found online use long grain rice in order to prevent a mushy texture. Arborio rice doesn’t seem to have this problem for a shorter grain. Though the grains may clump together easier like sticky rice, the rice remains tender and firm.
- Regarding measuring oils and spices: I don’t exactly measure spices and oils with spoons but gauge with my eyes, tongue, and noseā¦if something looks dry or is burning then add more oil. Make sure to take tastes of your creation as you go, and add more seasoning when you think is appropriate.
- This recipe makes somewhere between 4-8 servings depending on the serving size. If you have leftovers, I suggest sprinkling some water onto your serving before reheating to prevent overcooking and that mushy texture that could result from overcooking.
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