creole jambalaya
Last weekend was kind of cold and icky. I wanted easy, yummy comfort food. It just doesn't get any better than homemade jambalaya.
I love this recipe, because it's filling and flavorful. Best yet, the majority of the time goes into prep work. Also, every time I make this dish, Hank Williams's "On The Bayou" gets stuck in my head.
creole jambalaya
prep time: 30 minutes | cook time: 45 minutes
experience level: medium-ish | specialty: one-pot meal
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced fine
- 1 or 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound good quality smoked sauced, sliced into half moons
- 1 extra large skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 1/4 cups chicken low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- 1 15-ounces can crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice (you can sub brown, but it takes longer to cook)
- 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes OR 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 pound crawfish tails (the pre-cooked kind are usually found in the frozen foods section)
- 1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Toppers: fresh chopped parsley, green onions, and Tabasco or Crystal hot sauce
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the sliced sausage and cook it until it's browned (this step can be skipped, but I'm not a big fan of the puffy, chewy, overcooked sausage). Remove from pan. Add 1 more tablespoon of oil and sauté the celery, onion, and peppers until they start to become translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the last bit of olive oil to the veggies and add the raw chicken (and sausage, if you chose not to brown it). Cook until the chicken is no longer pink (because no one wants food poisoning). At this point, if you browned the sausage, stir it back in.
Deglaze the pan with a smidgen of chicken broth. Once the browned bits are up, stir in the remaining broth, rice, tomatoes, and spices. Stir well to combine and add the bay leaf. Bring to a good simmer, then reduce to medium-low heat. Be sure to stir the ingredients, as the rice likes to stick to the bottom. Cook for 30-35 minutes, or until the rice is almost done.
At this point, add in your shrimp and crawfish. Stir them into the jambalaya. Let the shrimp cook until they turn pink and fold up (this means they're done), about 5-8 minutes. Once they're cooked through, remove the pot from the heat immediately, otherwise your shrimp with get chewy.
Spoon onto plates and top with hot sauce. Also pairs well with French bread and an Abita Amber.
*If you don't like spiciness, omit the jalapeños and only use 1 tbsp of Cajun seasoning + 1/2 tbsp paprika + 2 tsp black pepper.
