Creole Shrimp, Chicken and Sausage Red Jambalaya

Have you ever fallen in love with a dish from a restaurant to that point that you couldn’t wait to get back home and try to replicate it? Well, that has happened to me in Charleston last week. I have being dying to try Jambalaya since moving to US but every time I got close to make it, I stepped back..it seemed so difficult and I was afraid I would not nail the flavors…as I had no idea what should I expect.

Just in case you’re wondering what restaurant serves this amazing Jambalaya, it is A. W. Shuck’s Seafood and Bar. Not the fanciest of Charleston places but I really liked their Creole Shrimp, Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. Well, their dish was simply called Seafood Jambalaya but when I got home I discovered there are 3 different types of Jambalaya. There is city type Creole Jambalaya, also called Red Jambalaya (this is the one I’ve made) because it has tomatoes, second is the rural type of Creole Jambalaya, made without tomatoes and third, Cajun Jambalaya, where meat and vegetables are cooked separately from the rice. Hope I got them right! If I messed up, blame it on the internet 🙂

What I love about this recipe (apart from its delicious taste) is that it takes just 30 minutes to make it! Easy to whip up (there is some “serious” chopping part required) is the perfect weekday big pot dinner. Creole Shrimp, Chicken and Sausage Red Jambalaya is one of the best dishes ever! You can adjust the amount of spiciness by reducing the amount of cajun added to the recipe. Try adding 1 teaspoon of cajun to start with and taste before adding the second one.

Hope you’ll have a wonderful weekend! Spring is finally here!

Creole Shrimp, Chicken and Sausage Red Jambalaya

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 fully cooked andouille sausages, sliced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups white rice, preferably long grain
• 1/2 lb peeled and deveined raw shrimp
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or heavy duty pan over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown it on all sides. Scatter the sliced andouille sausage around the chicken and continue browning for another 2 minutes. Transfer both to a resting plate.
2. Once the chicken and sausage are removed add 1 tablespoon of butter, add the onion and minced garlic, sauté stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes. Add the celery and red pepper and cook until the vegetables are just tender, 4- 5 minutes. Stir in Cajun seasoning, dried oregano and bay leaves and cook for another minute. Stir in chicken broth and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. After 10 minutes of cooking the rice, add chopped tomatoes and part of their juice and continue cooking.
3. Fold the chicken and sausage into the rice mixture, nestle the shrimp in the partially cooked rice and cook, covered, until the shrimp are opaque throughout and the rice is tender for 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with the chopped scallions before serving.

Notes

This recipe was adapted from Woman's Day, March 2014.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size:

1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Just a quick note: Hope you won’t have any trouble finding Andouille sausages. Any grocery shop should have them. If you can’t find them, you can use any smoked sausage type 🙂