Chicken Jambalaya Is the Ultimate One-Pot Meal You Need In Your Life.
Need a quick and easy way to make a delicious meal? This one-pot shrimp fried rice recipe is sure to please! It’s so simple and fast—you can have dinner on the table in no time at all.
This recipe is for chicken jambalaya, but if you want to make it vegetarian, simply substitutes the chicken for some tofu or other meat substitute.
What is Chicken Jambalaya
Chicken jambalaya is a dish made of rice and meat (usually chicken). It’s traditionally served with tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and cayenne pepper. Jambalaya is often considered to be a Creole version of gumbo but it can also be made without seafood or shellfish. It’s often served at parties, especially in Louisiana where it originated. It’s also a great dish to make for a crowd because it can be made ahead of time and warmed up later.
This version is made with chicken and shrimp. You can make it vegetarian by replacing the chicken with tofu or some other meat substitute. If you want to make it vegan, simply leave out the cheese. Jambalaya is usually served with a side of cornbread or rice.
It’s also a popular dish in Louisiana, where it’s considered to be one of the state’s signature dishes.
Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a mixture of rice, meat, seafood and vegetables. It’s a creole dish that originated in Louisiana.
Jambalaya is also known as “the redneck’s answer to paella.” It’s spicy (and often has hot sauce on the side), but it goes great with beer or wine!
Ingredients
1 pound of chicken, cut into 5 pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
2 green onions, sliced (optional)
3 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
1 cup long grain white rice (I used brown) 2 cups water 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
Instructions
- Add the chicken, sausage and onions to a large pot.
- Add 3 cups of chicken stock, 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (about 6 ounces each), 1 tablespoon dried basil and oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover tightly with lid or foil so that steam can evaporate as it simmers for 30 minutes on low heat (the rice will be done when it has absorbed all the liquid). Remove lid/foil during last 5 minutes or so if you prefer your jambalayas “dry” instead ofsauced up like this one!
- Add uncooked long grain white rice according to package directions for cooking time before adding shrimp at end of cooking time; cook until done but still firm & opaque inside (about another 15 minutes). Serve hot topped w/shrimp garnish as desired.
Top Tips For This Recipe For Chicken Jambalaya
- Soup, stew, and chili are examples of foods that just improve over time. Not one of those things is jambalaya. primarily because if you cook it for too long, the moisture will be cooked right out of it; you want it to be moist. So as to prevent overcooking, wait until the very last minute of cooking to add the rice.
- Make sure to verify your spices before serving and make any necessary adjustments.
- You can use another smoked sausage in place of Andouille.
Special Note
You can use any combination of vegetables and meats, as well as spices and liquids. In fact, you can make this dish in advance and freeze it until needed.
You can also add more or less chicken breast or thighs to the mix (depending on your preference). Just make sure to use exactly 10 ounces per person!
Louisiana seasoning
You can make your own Creole seasoning using 1/4 teaspoon if you don’t have any on hand. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, ground cumin, and each of the following: salt, garlic powder, paprika, and dried thyme.
Louisiana seasoning
In place of 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning, you can use 1/4 teaspoon each of salt, garlic powder, and paprika, as well as a pinch of dried thyme, powdered cumin, and cayenne pepper.
This is a delicious recipe for jambalaya but you may wish to make some substitutions.
You can use chicken or shrimp, and add other meats like beef or pork. Add other vegetables such as bell peppers and onions, spices like cayenne pepper, thyme and basil leaves (or oregano), rice if you want it thicker than Italian rice in your jambalaya recipe and any other ingredients that sound good to you!
In addition, if your broth is not thick enough then add some extra water to the pot before cooking. Also, when adding the chicken stir it around so that all pieces are covered by liquid. The end product will be very tasty!
