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Embracing my Mexican heritage and sharing all the wonderful flavors, colors and foods I grew up with. Join me on this journey as I also learn new foods and cooking techniques. Dedicated to my parents Ramiro and Blanca.

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Home » Chicken~Pollo » Spicy Cajun Jambalaya

Spicy Cajun Jambalaya

March 2, 20141 Comment

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When I think of Spicy Cajun Jambalaya, I have visions of Mardi Gras, strolling the streets of New Orleans with all it’s wonderful sounds and colors. Jambalaya is traditionally made with meat, vegetables, stock and completed with rice. This dish is very close to the Saffron infused Spanish Paella. For this version, I decided to prepare it Cajun style, with no tomatoes and with an added twist of my own, fresh jalapeños. Influenced by the Caribbean  Islands and mixed with the Spanish culture there are many variations of Cajun Jambalaya. This is a great make ahead recipe. Taste much better the next day! And it’s freezer friendly too.

jambalaya plated

I love Mexican food, but I also love cooking foods that I did not grow up with!

Spicy Cajun Jambalaya! Yes! I have always dreamt of visiting New Orleans just to enjoy some of the traditional dishes. Imagine the possibilities of the different combinations one can create. What if I add fideo instead of rice? Roasted poblanos instead of bell peppers? Mexican longaniza instead of smoked sausage? So many delicious options!

jambalaya close up
https://animoto.com/play/sj188OHAP5eZNYXwUAebhw

Step 1 Prep and season the ingredients!

ingredients for jambalaya

Both of these were great finds!

sausage and bacon

This may be one of those recipes where it takes longer to prep than the actual cooking!

seasoned chicken and shrimp

Step 2! Cooking the sausage and bacon!

cooked sausage and bacon

Step 3! Adding and cooking the chicken!

cooked seasoned chicken

Step 4! The peppers!

added mixed peppers

Step 5! Aromatics!

adding onion and garlic

Step 6! The Jasmine Rice!

adding jasmine rice

Step 7! The warm chicken broth!

adding warm broth

Step 8! Cooking the shrimp! I have a confession! I added almost 2 lbs. of shrimp because my family loves it so much. You can double up if you love shrimp too!

Cooking seasoned shrimp

Almost there!

jambalaya before adding shrimp

Here it comes!

adding shrimp

Oh, yes! I am so hungry at this point!

after adding the shrimp

I already know I will be having seconds!

jambalaya up close

Ready!

jambalaya plated
jambalaya plated with garnish
plated jambalaya

Spicy Cajun Jambalaya

Because who doesn't want to enjoy a big plate of Jambalaya? Serve with your favorite garlic bread and a fresh salad!
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Cajun
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 9 ounces smoked andouille sausage sliced
  • 6 ounces thick cut bacon diced
  • 2 tsps Salt plus more , to taste
  • 2 tsps pepper plus more, to taste
  • 2 tsps Cajun spice blend plus more , to taste
  • 2 tsps Smoked Paprika
  • 1 pounds boneless chicken thighs sliced into 1 inch pieces, remove excess fat
  • 1 pound medium shrimp cleaned and peeled
  • 1/4 c Olive oil
  • 1 small onion, about 1 c diced
  • 2 small bell peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow and or green diced
  • 1 large jalapeño minced (removing seeds is optional)
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 1/2 cups warm chicken broth
  • 1 cups Jasmine rice
  • 3 tbsps unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, parsley or green onions
  • Lemon wedges for garnish

Instructions

  • Drizzle in 2 tsps, of olive oil and preheat heavy dutch oven style pot to medium/high heat for a few minutes. Add the sausage and pork, cook for 8 minutes or until you get some good browning. The bacon was lean, so that's why I added olive oil.
  • In a bowl, mix the salt, pepper, cajun spice blend and smoked paprika. Divide it in half. Season the shrimp with half and then season the chicken with the other half. To each one, drizzle in about 2 tsps of olive oil. Mix to combine, set aside.
  • When ready, add the chicken to one side of the cooked sausage and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir as needed. If there is too much oil, drain off a little bit of oil.
  • Add the onions, bell peppers and jalapeños and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and pepper flakes. At this time, season, to taste with a little more Cajun seasoning, black pepper and salt. Stir well to combine.
  • Mix in the rice, then pour in the warm broth. When it comes up to a light boil, taste it for salt. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes or until most of the broth has been absorbed. Remove from heat and keep covered.
  • In the past, I added the uncooked shrimp to the cooked rice and continued cooking on low for 7 minutes. But, for more flavor, Preheat 3 tbsps of unsalted butter in a large skillet at medium heat. When hot, saute the shrimp for 3-5 minutes, stirring as needed. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to the cooked rice. Gently fold in. Serve with fresh green garnish, hot sauce and lemon wedges.

Notes

*garnish with lemon or lime wedges, the citrus really brings out all of the flavors!
Tips~ If you want to prepare a milder version of this dish, just save the Cajun seasoning for the end and omit the chile peppers. I added the shrimp at the last minute, but you could omit it as well if seafood is not your thing. I used dried herbs because that is what I had on hand, but fresh would be tasty!! Other herbs for more traditional flavors are sage and dried basil.
Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!
Spicy Cajun Jambalaya
Spicy Cajun Jambalaya

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Filed Under: Cajun~Creole, Chicken~Pollo, Shrimp Tagged With: Bacon, Cajun, Chicken, Jambalaya, Mardi Gras, Pork Sides, Rice, Smoked Sausage

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Comments

  1. Sonia

    February 10, 2015 at 12:54 pm

    This is a must prepare again soon recipe!

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Welcome!

Hi, my name is Sonia Mendez Garcia. My parents Ramiro and Blanca Mendez moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico in 1963. I am first generation Mexican American born in Los Angeles, California. Cooking has always been one of my passions in life. This is my journey and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Read More…

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