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.
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!
Step 1 Prep and season the ingredients!
Both of these were great finds!
This may be one of those recipes where it takes longer to prep than the actual cooking!
Step 2! Cooking the sausage and bacon!
Step 3! Adding and cooking the chicken!
Step 4! The peppers!
Step 5! Aromatics!
Step 6! The Jasmine Rice!
Step 7! The warm chicken 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!
Almost there!
Here it comes!
Oh, yes! I am so hungry at this point!
I already know I will be having seconds!
Ready!
Spicy Cajun Jambalaya
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.
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This is a must prepare again soon recipe!