I recently heard from an old long lost friend, Kenny Smith, who swore that he had seen my Jambalaya recipe on my blog at one point in time. I have my Gumbo recipe on the blog site, but not the Jambalaya. Both are similar, but the Jambalaya is more of a "stick to your bones" type of meal. Some people may think it's too warm out for Jambalaya, but good Jambalaya can be eaten any time of the year. Here's my recipe:
Will’s Jambalaya
1 pound smoked ham, cubed
1 pound chicken breasts or chicken fingers, cubed
1 pound Andouille sausage links, cubed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 to 2 cups celery, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, diced
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco
3 cups white rice
Using a six quart pot, pour olive oil onto the bottom to coat thoroughly, and heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until nearly brown. Add ham and sausage. Cook until just browned. Remove browned meat from the pot and set aside on paper towel.
Pour a couple tablespoons of oil into the bottom of the pan and heat. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers. When the vegetables begin to caramelize, add the garlic and continue cooking a few minutes more until the garlic is soft.
Add the meat back to the pan and stir to combine. Add the chicken stock and stir, making sure you get the cooked bits of veggies and meat off the side of pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season using sea salt, celery salt, pepper, and Tabasco.
Add the rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low, cover and let cook thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. You may have to add some more chicken broth to keep the rice moist. Add in the green onions and parsley and stir together. Turn off heat and cover jambalaya. Let the jambalaya sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Now - if you want SEAFOOD Jambalaya, here's what you need to do.
Get 1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Boil the shrimp until done and add to individual bowls of Jambalaya as needed.
You can freeze the Jambalaya with the chicken, sausage and ham, but the seafood can't be frozen and rethawed. It's best to make the shrimp added in, if you like. That way, any left over Jambalaya can be refrigerated or frozen for eating later on.
Bon Appetit!
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