This was a dish we pulled together a few weeks ago to feed a large gang heading North with us for one of our last ski weekends of the season. It was a great prep ahead dish that Boris helped me with the day before we traveled. He’s my go-to guy for prep that requires lots of knife work, as he is always looking to hone his skills in this area. By dicing and chopping all of our chicken, veggies and pork products in advance, all that was required after our full day of skiing was a quick saute of our prepped meats and veggies, the addition of some stock, rice and spices, and then popping the whole lovely concoction into the oven to bake.
This is a meal that takes to substitutions really well. Keep the ratio of liquid and rice in check and you can pretty much add or delete other ingredients at will. We used chicken, because we had some leftover from a roast chicken we had eaten a few days earlier, but it would have been equally delicious with the addition of shrimp instead. We stay away from bell peppers, because they don’t always agree with my wife, but if YOU love them, then by all means add some in. Lose the beans, or change them to black beans, or pintos if you like. Looking for more heat, up the andouille quotient, add some fresh jalapeno slices, or jack-up the amount of spice mix you add.
This dish is ideal with a tall frosty, a cool side salad and a chunk of homemade cornbread.
Enjoy – Steve
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked bacon, diced
- 1 1/2 pounds smoked fully cooked sausage (such as linguiça), halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons
- 1 pound andouille sausages, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons
- 1/2 pound tasso or smoked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 pounds onions, chopped (4 to 5 cups)
- 3 large celery stalks, chopped
- 1 - 12 ounce package of baby-bella mushrooms, quartered
- 2 - 15 ounce cans of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 large skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1- to 11/2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (or more) cayenne pepper
- 1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes (we use fire roasted Muir Glen)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups long-grain white rice
- 6 scallions, chopped
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Cook bacon in very large pot (dutch oven) over medium-high heat until brown but not yet crisp, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes. Add smoked sausage, andouille, and tasso. Sauté until meats start to brown in spots, about 10 minutes.
- Add onions, celery, and mushrooms. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Mix in chicken. Cook until outside of chicken turns white, stirring often, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Mix in paprika, thyme, chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Cook 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes and stock; stir to blend well. Check for seasoning, adding more cayenne, if desired. Mix in rice.
- Bring jambalaya to boil. Cover pot. Place in oven and bake until rice is tender and liquids are absorbed, about 45 minutes.
- Uncover pot. Check again for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed. Mix chopped green onions into jambalaya, then sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve.