Time to get my Cajun on!
Jambalaya is a favorite dinner in our house. We don't indulge often, but I don't know why. This dish is super simple to make and has
easily accessible ingredients that you may even have on hand. I make mine in a skillet in just under 45
minutes time and everyone loves it.
This makes a lot and this recipe will easily serve 12 people a hearty
meal. We always enjoy the leftovers for
another dinner and a couple of lunches.
I have chose a pretty traditional protein combo for this
skillet jambalaya of chicken, smoked sausage and fresh peeled and deveined
shrimp. I have the luxury of living on
the coast where I can access good fresh shrimp that is caught on a daily basis
in season, so I took the time to peel and devein. If you don't, you can easily pick up frozen shrimp and do the
same or if you really want to save time you can grab a bag of cooked, peeled
and deveined shrimp and that makes this dish even quicker.
I sauteed the chicken and sausage in some neutral oil until
the chicken was opaque. Then we added
the "holy trinity" of vegetables traditional to Cajun cooking,
chopped celery, bell pepper and onion as well as a few cloves of chopped
garlic. Nothing fancy, just good
simple, southern peasant style food. I
also added in a good dose of my homemade, salt free creole seasoning and gave
everything a good stir to get all those flavors melding together.
Then went in some chicken stock and a couple cans of petite
diced tomatoes with their juice. Stir
again before adding rice. I prefer and
almost exclusively use par cooked rice in my everyday cooking, but you can use
long grain if you like or whatever rice you choose, however be aware of the
rice to water ratios and adjust your recipe accordingly. Some rice takes more or less liquid, so just
be aware.
Give everything another good stir and bring the jambalaya to
a simmer then cover, turn the heat down to medium and allow this to cook for 10
minutes or until your rice is tender, but there may still be a bit of
liquid.
When your rice is ready, lay your shrimp on top, turn off
the heat and put the lid back on. The
shrimp will cook in about five minutes from the residual heat of the
jambalaya. Then you stir the shrimp in
to distribute and allow the pan to sit for five minutes before you dish this up
for dinner.
Jambalaya originated in southern Louisiana by a group of
immigrants knows as the Cajuns. Cajuns came from Brittany, France then
migrated to Nova Scotia and then down
to the swampy bayou of Louisiana. Foof
was scarce and the group had to make due with what they had as well as their
own knowledge and culinary experience from where they came. Out of their hardship grew an amazing
cuisine that we know and love today known as Creole or Cajun, but we always
know as delicious!
The word "Jambalaya", is said to be a combination of the French word for ham,
"Jambon" and the African word for rice "Aya". The
French and the African American population grew together to create an amazing
culture and out of this grew their fantastic cuisine. A Common belief is that Jambalaya originated from the Spanish
Paella, which is a rich dish that includes chicken, sausage, and a variety of
seafood and shellfish as well as a rich broth with saffron as it's main flavor
enhancer. Jambalaya is a bit
different but similar, as it
incorporates seafood , ham, link sausage rounds and chicken. However it does not have to include all of these
at once and can be easily made with only one protein at a time and still be
substantially satisfying
I love this dish for it's simplicity and it's amazing
flavor. This is an incredibly
satisfying meal that is great for a busy night after work, or a lazy weekend
night at home. Even great for sharing
with guests or taking to a pot luck supper.
I mean, who is going to turn this down right?
You can mix up the meat if you don't like shrimp or smoked
sausage, add in some cubed ham or Andouille sausage. You can leave the shrimp out altogether if that is not something
you prefer. Truth is this is good with
just one protein if that is all you have available. But when you do have them, it is a wonderful combination of
goodness!
I hope you will consider giving this skillet jambalaya a try
some time soon. I hope if you do that
you and your family love it!
Happy Eating!
You can get the printable recipe here: http://bit.ly/NKJambalaya
Noreen's Kitchen
Skillet Jambalaya
Ingredients
1
pound chicken breast cut into chunks
1
pound smoked sausage, sliced
1
pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
2
tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
2 cups
rice (not instant)
1 cup
celery, chopped
1 cup
onion, chopped
|
1 cup
bell pepper, chopped
4
cloves garlic, minced
1
tablespoon salt free Creole seasoning **
4 cups
chicken stock
2, 15
ounce cans, petite diced tomatoes
|
Step by Step Instructions
Heat oil in a
large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Brown chicken and smoked sausage until the chicken is opaque and
the sausage is slightly browned.
Add vegetables
and stir well to combine.
Add in chicken
stock and tomatoes and stir.
Add the rice and
stir making sure that is it not clumping together.
Bring to a simmer
and turn heat down to medium. Place a lid on the skillet and allow to cook for
ten minutes or until the rice has become tender.
When the rice is
tender, but there is still some liquid in the skillet, place the raw shrimp on the
top of the rice in a single layer. Turn
off the heat and place the lid back on the skillet. Allow the pan to sit for 10 minutes for the shrimp to cook from
the residual heat of the jambalaya.
Remove lid and
test shrimp to make sure they are perfect.
Then stir into the jambalaya and allow the pan to sit for five minutes
before serving.
This is a dish
that his hearty enough to serve on it's own but a salad and a crusty loaf of
bread is always a lovely addition.
Leftovers should
be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eaten within 7
days.
You can see how I made this in my YouTube video:
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