Jambalaya
Jambalaya for 100 (click here)
O.K., it's a Sunday (my cookin for the week), and I'm "Food" bored. It seems that I've been cookin and eatin' the same old "stuff" for the last few weeks and have had a craving for something different. So, what do you do, go food shopping of course, and hope that you'll get some inspiration. So I went to my local supermarket and spent about 10 minutes just puttering about trying to come up with something to cook. I finally made it to the Seafood department, and saw that 21 - 30 count shrimp were on sale for $6.00 / pound and a light went off, Jambalaya. I have no idea why this would have happened because I've never cooked Jambalaya in my life! So, I went back to the produce department and started picking up the fixin's, as well as I could remember them. This is a dish that I researched a couple of months ago, but didn't got the opportunity to make.Jambalaya
Jambalaya for 100 (click here)
Now you may notice that I've gone astray from the common ingredients in this dish. I've used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I just couldn't justify paying $2.99 / pound for chicken breast, when I could buy the chicken thighs at $0.99 / pound. An offshoot of this is that I tasted one of them as I was taking them out of the pot, then tasted again, then once more before I put a stop to it. they were soooo good that I see another recipe comin' on.
I also started this pretty early today, in order to let the boat cool down a bit before my company arrived. This ended up being a prettty neat idea, because, since I've been smelling it cooking for the last hour or so, I just couldn't resist a sample. I ladled a little bit of all the ingredients into a bowl, grated some fresh romano cheese on top, and went at it. I gotta tell ya, I WAS IMPRESSED ! I can't wait to try it with the shrimp and rice in it. It'll be a serious one pot meal.
So now it's about 1/2 hour prior to my guests arriving and it's time to get it finished off with the rice, chicken broth, and shrimp.
I'm always looking for ways to tweek my recipes. I want them to taste as good, or better than I've had anyplace else. But this one came out SO GOOD, we all decided that we couldn't come up with any tweeks that could make it better. It has just a little bit of heat, and all of the flavors have blended really well.
This makes a great 1-pot meal using chicken, pork, shrimp, rice, vegggies, and of course, my cajun spices, Butt Kickin Blacken.
Serves 10 -14 as a Main Course
Serves 25 - 30 as an Appetizer
- 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil, as needed, for frying
- 1 1/2 Pounds Andouille, Pork Sausage
- 5 Pounds Chicken Thighs, boneless, skin less
- 2 Tablespoons Butt Kickin' Blacken, as needed for chicken
- 2 Teaspoons Kosher Salt, as needed for chicken
- 4 Medium Onions, chopped
- 2 Medium Pablano Peppers, chopped
- 3 Medium Carrots, chopped
- 3 Stalks Celery, chopped
- 6 Cloves Garlic, minced, or grated
- 4 Medium Jalapeno Chile Peppers, minced, with seeds
- 6 Medium Thai, or Habanero Peppers, minced
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 2 Cans Diced Tomatoes, 56 ounce total
- 2 Tablespoons Butt Kickin' Blacken
- 1 Quart Chicken Broth
- 2 Cups Long Grain Rice, I prefer Basmati
- 1 1/2 Pounds Shrimp, peeled and deveined
1. Cut the pork sausage into 1/2" - 1" chunks. Get some oil going in the pot you'll be cooking everything in, and brown the sausage. Remove from the pot. I use an 8 quart pot.
2. While the sausage is cooking:
Cut the chicken into chunks, 1/2 at a time (you don't want to crowd the pot, or the chicken will steam instead of brown) and brown in the same pot, adding additional oil if you need it. Remove the chicken and reserve with the sausage.
Cut the chicken into chunks, 1/2 at a time (you don't want to crowd the pot, or the chicken will steam instead of brown) and brown in the same pot, adding additional oil if you need it. Remove the chicken and reserve with the sausage.
3. While the chicken is cooking, you can start chopping the vegetables. "Charlie Pepper" is a real hot Thai.. pepper that has a 25 minute afterburn. I'm sure you don't have a plant, so you can use dried peppers that or thinner than a pencil and about 2" long. Just put them in a blender and blend with enough water to make a puree", then add it to the pot. Turn the pot down to a medium heat, add additional oil, if needed, and dump in the vegetables.
Cook the vegetables over medium / high heat, covered, until they're soft.
Cook the vegetables over medium / high heat, covered, until they're soft.
4. Add the tomato paste and stir until it's all incorporated. Add the sausage and chicken back into the pot, then the tomatoes and simmer for about 45 minutes. Or, until the meat is cooked through.
5. At this point, you can either continue, or, turn off the heat, and finish it off the next day, or later, if you've gotten finished too early.
6. Either the next day, Later, or, as the next step. Bring the pot back to boiling.
7. Wash the rice well to get rid of the excess starch that's on the outside of each grain. I do this by placing it in a fine meshed strainer, holding it under running water, and stirring it with my hand until the water runs clear, then add to the pot along with the chicken broth.
8. Bring it back to a boil, add the shrimp, bring it back to a boil, then turn down to simmer, covered. Cook for an additional 25 - 30 minutes stirring every once in a while to keep the rice from settling on the bottom and sticking. Taste the rice to make sure it's done. let it rest for a few minutes, then serve. Don't worry if the rice hasn't absorbed all the liquid, the resting will give it a little more time to soak into the rice.
Feedback is GREAT!
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this recipe, or any other of my recipes you've either looked at or tried.thecapn@capnrons.com
6. Either the next day, Later, or, as the next step. Bring the pot back to boiling.
7. Wash the rice well to get rid of the excess starch that's on the outside of each grain. I do this by placing it in a fine meshed strainer, holding it under running water, and stirring it with my hand until the water runs clear, then add to the pot along with the chicken broth.
8. Bring it back to a boil, add the shrimp, bring it back to a boil, then turn down to simmer, covered. Cook for an additional 25 - 30 minutes stirring every once in a while to keep the rice from settling on the bottom and sticking. Taste the rice to make sure it's done. let it rest for a few minutes, then serve. Don't worry if the rice hasn't absorbed all the liquid, the resting will give it a little more time to soak into the rice.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this recipe, or any other of my recipes you've either looked at or tried.
- Whether or not you like this recipe and why.
- How you'd like to see it different.
- Suggestions for new recipes I could post.
- Recipes you've made using Butt Kickin' Blacken.
Jambalaya
Any leftover Jambalaya can easily be frozen for another day, or just set it in the refrigerator.
To Re-Heat on Stove:
Place the Jambalaya in a pot, add a little water, chicken broth, or white wine, and heat over low heat for 10 minutes or so.
Oven BBQ Chicken