Description
A comforting one-pot rice dinner from New Orleans.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 pound (227 grams) smoked andouille sausage, cut into thin coins
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 large celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 green bell peppers, seemed seeded and finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- One 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes in their juice
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional)
- A large handful thinly sliced green onions and parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt, black pepper, chili powder and cayenne. Mix everything together and let the chicken sit at room temperature while you cook the sausage.
- Place the olive oil in a large heavy pot (like a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the sausage is crisped in spots, about 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl, leaving the fat in the pot.
- Add the chicken to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally until it’s browned in spots and just cooked through, about 8 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to the bowl with the sausage.
- Add the onion, celery, and bell peppers to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until they’re fragrant and softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring until very fragrant, just a minute or so. Add the diced tomatoes and their juice along with the chicken stock. Turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil before turning to low. Taste the mixture and season with salt to your taste.
- Stir in the reserved sausage and chicken along with the rice. Cover and cook just until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
- Uncover the pot and stir in the shrimp if you’re using them. Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the jambalaya sit so the shrimp cooks through with the residual heat and the rice has time to really soak everything in.
- Serve the jambalaya hot with a good sprinkle of green onions and parsley.