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RECIPE: Jambalaya

Jambalaya style One Pot 



Before I even get started here I want to make it very clear I have no claim to Creole/Cajun-American, African, French, Spanish or any other cuisine that this dish has its colourful roots in. I just know it tastes great, is moderately healthy, and is a quick and hassle-free dish to always have in your back pocket!


The name literally means mix up or ‘jumble’ - the dish has culinary historians connecting it with Jolof Rice, Stews, and even Paella, and as such the ingredients vary wildly. 


My take uses ingredients you would also find in Valencia style Paella, simply because that’s the things I most often have in the fridge, but you can swap and change things as you like. Most sausages could replace the chorizo (although add the paprika back), and garden peas could be swapped for black beans , or okra.


Oh - I’m going to say “Dutch oven” in this one, maybe, this is an Americanism I think that I’ve started using, I mean a Crock Pot, or large heavy-based, enameled, iron cooking pot with a lid. I don’t know why I can never stick to one name for this thing, but they’re amazing things to have in your kitchen!

Jambalaya

(For 2 to 3 people -plus the leftovers reheat great!)

Ingredients:


1 tbsp olive oil

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced (or equivalent lazy garlic puree)

1 onion diced or sliced in strips, to taste

1 red pepper sliced in strips

2 chicken breasts - chopped into chunks (food scissors work too here!)

100g chorizo, sliced how you like (slice down the length of the casing and peel it off)

~2 tbsp Cajun seasoning*

250g long grain rice

400g (can of) chopped/crushed tomato

350ml chicken stock


Equipment:

  • Large enameled-iron Dutch Oven/Crock pot

  • flexible rubber/plastic spatula

  • Measuring jug (for stock)

  • large serving spoon

  • Chef’s knife and chopping board(s)

Method:

  • On a separate chopping board, cut up your chicken breasts into chunks (use a knife or scissors here, but keep them separate from everything else, and wash well!)

  • Peel the casing off your Chorizo and slice (or crumble, if you’re using the soft cooking kind) how you like it.

  • Slice the pepper into strips, (discarding the seeds and core), slice your onion either into similar length strips, or dice, however you prefer it.

  • Heat the olive oil in the bottom of the pot, on the stove, at a medium-high heat (7/10)

  • Fry up your onions, peppers, and chorizo along with the garlic and about one tbsp (half) of the spice blend until soft and just starting to catch.

  • Reduce the heat one ‘stop’. Add your chicken to the pot, frying until all opaque and browning, adding the rest of the spice mix. Keep it moving so the veggies don’t catch, they should all soften up once the chicken is cooked.

  • Add in the rice, tomatoes, and stock (use the stock to wash out your tomato can!) - Stir it all up!

  • Pop the lid on, knock the heat down to about 5/10 and cook for 20-25minutes (you probably want to stir every 10 mins so it doesn’t burn to the bottom of the pot)

  • If you’re adding frozen garden peas, these can go straight in the pot 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time and cook in with everything else.

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Location: London, UK

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