Recipe of the day: Jambalaya

Want an easy and tasty meal for a busy Monday? Well, Jambalaya is your answer.

It is a one-pot dish inspired by New Orleans and it is packed with delicious flavours.

In this dish you have tender meats, tasty spices, and perfectly cooked rice − all cooked together in one pot, which means less mess for you to clean up.

Jambalaya

Feeling too tired to prepare a variety of dishes? Don’t worry, this Jambalaya recipe has got you covered with the all-in-one dish.

• Author: Ali
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Lunch, Dinner
• Method: cook
• Cuisine: West African, Central African

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
• 453g andouille sausage, thinly sliced into rounds
• 3 small bell peppers, cored and diced (The 0 0 #0000;–tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000;–tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000;–tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000;text-decoration: inherit;–tw-text-opacity: 1;border: 0px solid #e5e7eb” href=”https://www.citizen.co.za/tag/chef/”>Chef used a yellow, red and green bell pepper)
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 (396g) can crushed tomatoes
• 3–4 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning or Creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 453g raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup thinly-sliced okra*
• Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• Optional garnishes: chopped fresh parsley, thinly-sliced green onions, hot sauce

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a stock pot (or a very large, deep sauté pan) over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and sausage and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sausage is lightly browned.  Transfer to a clean plate and set aside.
2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the stock pot.  Add bell peppers, celery, jalapeño, onion and garlic. Sauté for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, rice, Cajun seasoning, thyme, cayenne, bay leaf, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is nearly cooked through, stirring every 5 minutes or so along the way so that the rice does not burn.
4. Add the shrimp, okra, and stir to combine. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is cooked through and pink. Stir in the chicken and sausage, and remove and discard the bay leaf.
5. Taste season the jambalaya with salt, pepper, and additional Cajun seasoning if needed.  (The Chef typically adds about 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.)  Remove from heat.
6. Serve warm with your desired garnishes. Or refrigerate and store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

*This recipe was sourced from gimmesomeoven.com.

NOW READ: Sunday lunch: Flavourful grilled beef tongue with lerotse purée