Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya: A hearty and spicy one-pot meal with chicken, shrimp, and sausage that just begs to be made on a cold winter’s night.
Some of you may be wondering what the heck I’m doing posting a clear-cut cold-weather meal almost halfway through April.
Most of the time, I’m thinking about grilled chicken fajitas and grilled farmer’s market pizza by the middle of April.
Well, if you had some of the nasty weather that the Northeast endured during the final weeks of March and into the beginning of April, you know how much a warm meal on a raw and rainy night was appreciated. This chicken and shrimp jambalaya was the perfect meal for a night like that.
And maybe what was best about it (aside from it’s deliciousness of course) was that it was an easy meal to put together on a weeknight.
Let’s just say that regardless of the level of familiarity you may have with jambalaya, you’re going to love this version.
I had been looking for a great jambalaya recipe for close to 3 years and since I had never made it before and had only eaten it a couple of times as a kid, I wanted to make sure I chose the perfect one.
This was it, thanks to Annie and her love of Cook’s Illustrated. Kyle and I both adored this chicken and shrimp jambalaya and I’m already looking forward to next fall when the weather will be calling for it again!
Chicken and Shrimp Jambalaya
- Prep Time: 20min
- Cook Time: about 45min
- Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
1 medium onion, trimmed and quartered
1 rib celery, cut into quarters
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and quartered
5 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp vegetable oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
8 oz andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into ¼-inch chunks (or crumbled, if in delicate casings)
1 ½ cups long-grain white rice
1 tsp salt
½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained (¼ cup of juice reserved)
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 lb shrimp (31-40 per lb.), peeled and deveined
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
Instructions
-
01
Combine the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until chopped fine, about six 1-second pulses, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Be careful not to over-process.
-
02
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pot, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn the chicken and cook until golden brown on the opposite side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Lower the heat to medium and add the andouille. Cook, stirring often, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon, and set aside.
-
03
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the chopped vegetables to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Add the rice, salt, thyme and cayenne; cook, stirring constantly, until the rice is coated with the fat, about 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, clam juice, chicken broth, bay leaves and cooked sausage to the pot. Stir to combine.
-
04
Remove the skin from the chicken pieces and place the chicken on the rice so that the side the skin was just removed from is now facing down. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Stir once, keeping the chicken in the same general position, and continue to simmer until the chicken is no longer pink inside, about 10 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a clean plate or cutting board and set aside.
-
05
Scatter the shrimp over the rice, cover, and continue to cook until the rice is fully tender and the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
-
06
While the shrimp are cooking, shred the chicken into thin strands. Once the shrimp are finished cooking, discard the bay leaves, stir in the chicken and parsley, and serve immediately.
adapted from The New Best Recipe by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated, as found on Annie’s Eats
Since our weather is so unpredictable, our food can be too, right? I wouldn’t blink an eye at a chili craving in the middle of July! But I may have to try the jambalaya instead 🙂
Yum yum yum. Glad you enjoyed it! I love this dish.
Everything on your site looks DELICIOUS! I want some of each please!
Made this tonight for dinner. Husband and I liked it a lot – great for a cold day and it has just the right amount of spiciness. Thanks!
Would be nice if there was a way to print recipes.
Many of my older recipes on the site don’t have the print option yet but I’m working on it. 🙂 If there is ever a specific recipe you would like to print, send me a quick note or comment to ask and I can add the print option within a few hours of sending your note.