Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

This is one of our favorite all-in-one pot meals.



As I've said before, there are more recipes for Jambalaya than you can shake a stick at, but I like to prepare the ones using good ?ol southern elements. This one uses simple ingredients which are the basis for good jambalaya but you'll notice it contains no tomatoes unlike many other Cajun or Creole versions. I talked about the Creole's early influence in this dish with my Creole Ham Jambalaya recipe I shared back in 2009 and then last year I brought back a favorite one with many of you, Cajun Pastalaya which is a mix-mesh of several recipes but one you seem to like. That post sees more traffic than just about any of my Cajun recipes. There is also an earlier Vegetarian Jambalaya recipe from long ago. And I have not even begun to scratch the surface of these one-pot-meals. Enjoy!





Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

this makes a big ol' pot - cut in half for 4 to 6 servings



2 pounds smoked or Cajun sausage, sliced 1/4-inch

4 pounds chicken thighs

3 large onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup diced bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon crushed thyme

1 teaspoon crushed basil

5 to 6 cups chicken stock

3 cups long-grain rice, uncooked

1 cup chopped green onions



Remove skin from thighs and put aside. In a large stockpot, add sausage and cook on medium heat until lightly brown. Remove sausage and add chicken to the grease, brown on all sides until tender. Remove chicken and most of the grease. Add onions, garlic, celery, bell pepper and cook until onions are clear scraping the bottom to remove the brown bits. Stir in the seasonings and simmer on low for about 10 minutes.



Remove meat from the thighs and add to the pot along with the sausage. Add 5 cups of stock and bring to a full boil. Stir in the rice and stir the bottom until mixture returns to rapid boil again, then reduce heat to low. Keep stirring the bottom until mixture reaches the just simmering stage, about 5 minutes. The secret to a good jambalaya is to constantly stir the bottom of the pot while you reduce the heat to very low. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 25 minutes. Do not remove lid during the time.



Remove from heat and let set. Just before serving, stir with a large fork to mix the rice with the meats. Top with the green onions and serve with hot red pepper sauce if desired and lots of hot, crusty French bread.