Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya
CAJUN CHICKEN AND ADOUILLE SAUSAGE JAMBALAYA
If you’ve been looking for a hearty Cajun jambalaya recipe all these years, look no further. I myself have been trying to perfect “the” most amazing jambalaya because growing up in Louisiana, I’ve had some extremely disappointing ones, and too many mediocre ones. They’re either too dry or way too much tomatoes, which I do not want, ever.
The main difference between Cajun and Creole stews and jambalayas is the amount of tomatoes used. This recipe takes care of that issue, and hey, if you want more tomatoes, you can add some, obviously!
The difference maker in this too is the sausage. A standard sausage for jambalaya and gumbos is andouille. We inhaled this. Now, you can use regular smoked andouille, that’s totally fine. Also, you can usually find apple gouda sausage at most stores.
We love having a hearty, brown beer paired with it, and in the actual recipe!
The apple gouda cheese from Heinen’s is absolutely amazing. We couldn’t stop eating it.
CAJUN CHICKEN AND ADOUILLE SAUSAGE JAMBALAYA
Ingredients
8 strips bacon, chopped
2 cups yellow onion, diced
2 cups celery, diced
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
12oz or 1 package andouille sausage, sliced
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup dark harvest lager style beer
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
1 can (10oz) diced tomatoes with green chilis, drained
1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup green onion tops, chopped
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce, preferably Tabasco
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
3 1/4 cups long grain white rice
4 cups chicken stock
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a large cast iron dutch oven ( I use at least a 9 qt) over medium high heat, fry the bacon. Remove from pot and leave the bacon grease in for sautéing the onions, celery and bell peppers for 5 minutes.
After the 5 minutes, add in garlic, rosemary, andouille sausage and chicken until the meat begins to brown.
Deglaze the pot by adding the beer and skimming the pot with a flattened wooden edge spoon. Add the bacon from the first step back in, and toss in the canned and chopped tomatoes, parsley and green onions.
Add in the cayenne, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce and red wine vinegar to pot and stir.
Pour in the rice and mix into the pot to distribute evenly. Add in the chicken stock carton (4 cups) and stir again. Cover the pot and bake for 1 hour. DON’T lift that lid to even check it, or stir or look at it. Let it do it’s thing and cook.
After that hour, turn off the oven, remove lid to check if rice is cooked, and put back in oven covered to sit and steam a bit for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and break apart, then fold back in the jambalaya. Then serve with more parsley and green onions if necessary! Which, it usually is.
