I had planned to test my roast chicken stuffed with falafel theory, but after getting slowed down by a blizzard en route home from Cochrane today, then navigating through hail and lightning once I got back to the city, by the time I made it home I figured it was too late to roast the considerably large (for a chicken) chicken I had in the fridge. So I made jambalaya instead, something I had orchestrated to make use of the lone farmers’ sausage left in the freezer.

Jambalaya is typically made with chicken, sausage or ham, and shrimp. Since I always have a bag of shrimp in the freezer, that part was easy – and it’s a great way to use cheaper chicken thighs. You can make it as gutsy or mild-mannered as you like with (or without) hot sausage, spices and hot sauce. I left the hot stuff out on account of W, who gobbled it up. Truthfully, it didn’t thrill me, but the boys liked it, and it did make for a warming rainy/snowy/sleety/hail-y day dinner.

Chicken, Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

AuthorJulie

Yields1 Serving

a drizzle of canola or olive oil

4-6 chicken thighs, with bones but no skin

½ lb kielbasa, andouille, farmers' or Italian sausage, or leftover roast ham, sliced or coarsely chopped

1 onion, coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped

2-5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 ½ cups cups long grain white rice

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. - 1 Tbsp. chili powder

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp salt

A few shakes of Tabasco sauce

2 ½ cups chicken stock

1 14 oz. (398 mL) can diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained

Salt and pepper

½ lb (250 g) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, with or without the tails on

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken thighs for a few minutes, turning as necessary until browned on all sides. Remove them from the pot and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the sausage to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes or until browned. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Add the onion, pepper, celery, and garlic to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and cook for a minute, stirring well. Add the cooked sausage, bay leaf, chili powder, thyme, salt and Tabasco.

Add the stock and diced tomatoes and stir everything together. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the chicken thighs to the pot, meat side down, on top of the rice. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove the lid and stir the jambalaya, keeping the chicken pieces more or less on top. Replace the lid and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed, the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Remove the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Scatter the shrimp over the jambalaya, cover, and cook for 5-10 minutes, just until the shrimp are pink and opaque. Serve it while it's hot.

Categoryone dish