Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- 12 ounces smoked sausage, sliced in 1/4" rounds
- 1 cup chopped yellow or white onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 10-ounce can of tomatoes and green chilis, include juice from the can
- 1 1/2 cups raw, white, long-grain rice
- 4 cups salted chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 pound raw medium to large-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
- chopped fresh green onion and/or fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a thick pot, such as a large Dutch oven, Magnelite, or black iron pot, over medium to medium-high heat.
- Place the chicken thighs in the hot oil and brown well on each side to a golden brown, leaving dark pan drippings on the bottom and sides of the pot. Remove the chicken to a bowl and set aside.
- Brown the sausage until brown, making more brown bits in the pot; transfer the sausage to the bowl with the chicken and set aside.
- Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and tomatoes with juice to the dripping in the large pot; cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- While the veggies cook, use a fork and knife to remove the chicken meat from the thigh bones and discard the bones and skin.
- Stir the garlic into the vegetables at the last minute of cooking or until they are fragrant.
- Add the chicken meat, sausage, broth, water, rice, and seasonings to the cooked vegetables and stir together.
- Cover the pot and cook on low to medium heat for 30 minutes, checking often to see if the rice is sticking to the bottom. If so, lower the heat.
- When the rice is cooked, gently stir the shrimp into the jambalaya, cover the pot, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and no longer opaque.
- Serve hot, garnish with chopped green onions or parsley, and leave a bottle of hot sauce out for those who crave more heat.
Notes
- During cooking, check pot often, peeking through the jambalaya with a spoon, to see if the rice sticks to the bottom. If so, lower the heat.
- Add a a small amount of water at at time if the jambalaya seems to be cooking too fast and drying out. Not too much or your dish will be mushy and soupy; if so cook for a few minutes uncovered.
- After it is cooled, store the jambalaya in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Cajun
