Jambalaya

There used to be an awesome Cajun restaurant here called Copelands, and ever since it closed we’ve never really been able to get our Cajun fix. So while preparing our menu last weekend, we decided to give this classic Cajun dish a try. Not only was it easy (I’m sure you’re looking at the ingredient list and saying “yeah right,” but really, it was!), but it was mighty tasty. It wasn’t quite Copelands, but it definitely satisfied our Cajun craving. We used Emeril Lagasse’s recipe as a guide, but ultimately made it our own as far as spices and such go.

Jambalaya

{Print this Recipe}
Here’s what you’ll need:
Serves: 4
- 12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and tailed
- 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 3/4 cup rice
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 or 2 links Andouille sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp Cayenne
- salt and pepper

Instructions:
This probably seems like a lot of ingredients (I know it did while I was typing it out), but don’t be intimidated. Most everything is probably already in your pantry or fridge and chopping everything is the hardest part, so get that out of the way and everything else is a piece of cake. Plus, just think about how delicious it’s going to be when it’s all done!

In a mixing bowl, toss the shrimp and chicken with one teaspoon of the Cajun seasoning and work it into the meat using your hands. Set aside.

In a large saucepan (we used a pasta pot to make sure we had plenty of room), heat the oil over medium heat. Toss in the onions, bell pepper and celery and saute until they start to sweat out and cook a bit, about five minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauce to the pan and stir to combine well. Stir in the rice, then add the stock in one cup at a time, stirring to make sure everything gets incorporated well.

Reduce the heat just a bit so the liquid maintains a steady simmer and let cook for about 15 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid and is mostly cooked through (you don’t want the rice to be completely cooked through at this point). Once most of the liquid is gone, add in the shrimp, chicken, sausage and the remaining seasonings (the tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, the teaspoon of Cayenne and salt and pepper). Stir together so everything is incorporated, and continue to cook until the rice and meat are completely cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves from the pot and you’re ready to serve!

Cajun Jambalaya

For our first shot at jambalaya, I thought this was pretty dang good. It was really spicy (what’s Cajun food without spice, right?) and full of flavor. The Cayenne and paprika from the Cajun seasoning blend really came through in every bite and gave the whole dish a great depth of flavor. The rice was perfectly tender, and all of the meat was really flavorful and juicy. The one thing I would change about this recipe next time is the amount of tomatoes, or maybe add some tomato paste or something to give it more of a tomato flavor throughout.

Despite the long ingredient list, this is a really easy recipe and something that can be done easily on a week night (even though it tastes like it’s been cooking all day). It also made for great leftovers throughout the week.

Emeril’s original recipe can be found on the Food Network Web site.