Jambalaya Recipe

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Today, my daughter made jambalaya for our lunch.  We’ve had it before, but she always thought it was a bit too spicy (like break out in a sweat spicy), so we looked over the recipe, made a few changes, and came up with a new recipe that is still big on flavor, but the heat has been taken out of it, making it a friendlier dish for those who can’t/don’t do hot & spicy.

Before we got started, we did all of our prep work – measuring the spices, chopping up the veggies, cutting up the meats, and cleaning the shrimp.  With everything prepped ahead of time, this became a quick 1-dish meal that only took less than 40 minutes to cook.  Don’t let the number of ingredients intimidate you – it really is easy!

Jambalaya

Spices
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp season salt
1 tsp Old Bay
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 Tbsp parsley

Proteins
1 lb smoked kielbasa, sliced into bite sized pieces
1 cup of ham, diced
3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed

Trinity
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell pepper

Everything Else
1-2 Tbsp oil
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups brown Minute Rice

In a heavy dutch oven, brown off the kielbasa and ham.  Some fat will render out, and the meats should get a little color on them.  Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.

Add a little oil if the pan is dry, and brown off your chicken.  You want to make sure your chicken pieces are mostly cooked through at this point.  Remove the chicken to the bowl with the kielbasa & ham.

If the pan is dry, add a little oil.  Add all of your vegetables, and give them a stir.  You will cook the veggies for about 8 minutes until they are tender.  One trick for this is to add a splash of your chicken stock, and then cover the pot with a lid so that the veggies steam.  I have found this goes much faster than sautéing them or simmering them when I’m making soups and 1 pot meals in a hurry.

Once the veggies are soft, add all of the spices.  Cook for another minute so they are warmed through and start to release some of their goodness.  

Dump in the can of tomatoes and chicken broth, and add the chicken, kielbasa, and ham back to the pot.  Bring it up to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.  

Stir in the brown Minute Rice, and simmer another 5 minutes covered.

Turn off the heat, and stir in the shrimp.  Cover the pot, and let it stand for 6 minutes.  The Minute Rice will absorb all of the broth, and the shrimp will be perfectly cooked.

Heat it Up!

There are a lot of substitutions you can make if you like heat in your jambalaya.  Make one or more of these changes to heat things up:

• swap andouille or cajun sausage for the kielbasa
• add a 1/4 tsp or more of cayenne pepper to the spice mixture
• add a few drops of hot sauce or tabasco to the broth
• swap Rotel for the can of petite diced tomatoes
• add some chopped hot pepper along with your bell peppers

After making two batches of jambalaya recently, we have decided that this is our favorite.  We prefer the big flavors with less heat, and plan on making this again soon since I have a big bag of shrimp in the freezer, but before that, I’m looking forward to having the leftovers for tonight’s dinner before scouts!

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Jambalaya

Author Stephanie & Emily Huston

Ingredients

Spices

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp season salt
• 1 tsp Old Bay
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 Tbsp parsley

Proteins

• 1 lb smoked kielbasa sliced into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup of ham diced
• 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 lb shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails removed

Trinity

• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper

Everything Else

• 1-2 Tbsp oil
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups brown Minute Rice

Instructions

1. In a heavy bottom dutch oven, brown off the kielbasa and ham. Some fat will render out, and the meats should get a little color on them. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.
2. Add a little oil if the pan is dry, and brown off your chicken. You want to make sure your chicken pieces are mostly cooked through at this point. Remove the chicken to the bowl with the kielbasa & ham.
3. If the pan is dry, add a little oil. Add all of your vegetables, and give them a stir. You will cook the veggies for about 8 minutes until they are tender. One trick for this is to add a splash of your chicken stock, and then cover the pot with a lid so that the veggies steam. I have found this goes much faster than sautéing them or simmering them when I’m making soups and 1 pot meals in a hurry.
4. Once the veggies are soft, add all of the spices. Cook for another minute so they are warmed through and start to release some of their goodness.
5. Dump in the can of tomatoes and chicken broth, and add the chicken, kielbasa, and ham back to the pot. Bring it up to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the brown Minute Rice, and simmer another 5 minutes covered.
7. Turn off the heat, and stir in the shrimp. Cover the pot, and let it stand for 6 minutes. The Minute Rice will absorb all of the broth, and the shrimp will be perfectly cooked.

Recipe Notes

There are a lot of substitutions you can make if you like heat in your jambalaya. Make one or more of these changes to heat things up:
swap andouille or cajun sausage for the kielbasa
swap Rotel for the can of petite diced tomatoes
add a 1/4 tsp or more of cayenne pepper to the spice mixture
add a few drops of hot sauce or tabasco to the broth
add some chopped hot pepper along with your bell peppers