Welcome to this week’s recipe post!
This week we’re cooking up a favorite all over the South, but especially in New Orleans.
That’s right, we’re discussing jambalaya! This is actually one of my favorite meals, both to cook and to eat.
This is an excellent recipe to keep in your pocket if you need to feed a lot of people on short notice. It cooks up fast and scales easily. Both of these things make it a great meal for Super Bowl Sunday,
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons of butter
¾ pound smoked sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices (andouille is best if you can get it, or make it)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 can or 14 ½ oz diced tomatoes
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 ½ cups long-grain white rice
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (plus extra for seasoning)
2 bay leaves
3 cups chicken broth
Instructions
In a large skillet with a lid, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook till brown on both sides, roughly 5 minutes. Put the sausage in a bowl to the side.
Add all fresh vegetables and cook until they’re just starting to soften. This should take about 3 minutes.
Lightly dust the chicken with salt and black pepper on all sides.
Add the chicken and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring continuously until the chicken loses its raw colour, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Add thyme, paprika, the ½ tsp cayenne pepper, and the bay leaves. Cook until fragrant. ( Should only take 45 seconds) .
Bring the sausage back to the pan (all of it, along with the juices that have dripped into the bottom.) Add your broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil and taste. If you want to add more kick to it, this is when you add in more cayenne. Make sure only to add a small amount at a time to ensure you don’t overdo it. (I’ve made more than one batch that was deemed ‘too spicy.’)
Sprinkle your rice evenly around the skillet, making sure not to overcrowd any one section. Doing this makes sure that all of your rice absorbs the liquids and heat evenly. You could, in theory, stir it into the skillet, but there’s still the possibility of overcrowding if you’re not careful.
Cover the skillet, turn the heat down to low and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and your rice is tender roughly 15 minutes. Remove skillet from the heat and let stand, covered, for an additional 10 minutes. This gives the rice further time to fluff up, as well as making sure that it absorbs the full complement of spices.
Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Serve the meal right from the skillet.
And there you go! A delicious and filling meal that you can make any time of year.
If you’re working with a cast-iron skillet, keep a few things in mind.
It takes time to heat up. Due to how thick the pan is, it’ll take more time for the heat to travel through it and for it to cool down. It might be wise to ‘pre-heat’ the skillet in your oven, say for 10 minutes at 350. Make sure that you put the pan in while the oven is still cool. Take time after you’re done eating for the pan to cool off as well before you start trying to clean it.
When you’re getting ready to clean up, don’t get soap on the pan. Cast iron is fantastic for the kitchen, but it takes a lot of TLC. The wonderful people over at Kitchn have gone in-depth on how to care for a cast-iron skillet.
After it’s clean, make sure to season it again before you put it up. Doing this seals the flavors into the pan and ensures that it brings added flavor to your next dish.
Dinner time is a breeze when your appliances work correctly. If yours are giving you trouble, give us a call. Appliance Rescue Service makes repairing, maintaining, and replacing your appliances easy. You can book an appointment online or call us today at (214)-599-0055.
What recipes would you like to see next? Do you have any recipes you’d like to share or suggest? Let us know in the comments or over on our Facebook page, we’d love to hear from you!
Credit for our delicious looking photo this week goes to Edd Prince.