Jambalaya

Great Jambalaya recipe, takes a little over an hr. Shout out to Mara for basic recipe.

Chicken, Sausage  and Shrimp Jambalaya                                               

Serves a pool party

• 1 large onion
• 4  celery ribs
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon of neutral oil
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• 12-16 ounces andouille sausage or solid panish chorizo (typical pack of 2)
• 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice
• 1 teaspoon’ish kosher salt
• 1  tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or equivalent dry)
• teaspoon + of old bay seasoning
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes drained.
• 1 cup bottled clam juice (typical bottle)
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth thickish
• 2 large bay leaves
• 1/2 lb medium peeled shrimp with tails off

1. Dice the onion, celery, red pepper…set aside. Slice the andouille like thick pepperoni slices..set aside. Clean shrimp including tails…set aside
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering.
3. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook skin until golden brown.
4. Using tongs, turn the chicken and cook until golden brown on the second side. About 10 min total.
5. Transfer the chicken to a plate. This is where you get the fat in your pan that you will keep for later
6. Reduce the heat and add the asausage; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 5-10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside. If Chorizo less time.
7. Empty the fat into a cup. Put 2 tablespoons back in
8. Keep heat at medium-low, add the vegetables, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, until the vegetables have softened, about 8 minutes.
9. Add the rice, salt, thyme, and old bay; cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Old bay is based on heat/flavor profile….totally yer call. Don’t overdo it, you can always add later. You can also do a pinch of cayenne if you are not doing chorizo.
10. Add tomatoes, clam juice, chicken broth, bay leaves, and browned sausage to the pot. Turn heat up, cover and cook for several minutes to get back to a light boil/heavy simmer for a few minutes.
11. Remove and discard the skin from the chicken; place the chicken, previously skinned-side down in pot on top of all the love. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 minutes.
12. Remove chicken, stir, scrape the bottom and put chicken back in on the other side. Replace the cover and continue to simmer until the chicken is no longer pink when cut into with a paring knife, about 10-12 minutes more.
13. Set aside chicken.
14. Scatter the shrimp over the rice, cover, and continue to cook until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes turing once. Don’t overcook the shrimp.
15. While the shrimp are cooking, using forks, de-bone the chicken into small, somewhat shredded pieces.
16. Put back in with the now barely done shrimp. Stir and discard the bay leaves.
17. BAM

Ways to screw it up:

• too much vegetable oil w chicken at outset, the chicken skin will give you a lot of fat.  also dont leave more than the 2 tbsp of total oil in the mix
• too much seasoning, don’t kill it, you can always add hot sauce at the table
• overcooking the shrimp…needs to be juicy and wonderful remember it will keep cooking a touch once you mix into the hot jambalaya.