Description
Ina Garten’s Jambalaya brings Louisiana’s soulful spice to your kitchen with a perfect blend of shrimp, sausage, and rice. Hearty flavors dance together, creating a memorable meal that transports you straight to New Orleans’ lively culinary landscape.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Seafood:
- 1.5 pounds andouille sausage, sliced diagonally 0.5 inch thick
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 pound (16- to 20-count) shrimp, tails on, peeled and deveined
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 1.5 cups yellow onion, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and large-diced
- 2 cups celery, large-diced
- 2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño peppers
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained and medium-diced
Herbs, Spices, and Liquids:
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 0.5 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups extra-long-grain white rice
- 3 bay leaves
- 0.5 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 0.5 cup sliced scallions
- 0.25 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare a spacious 13-inch (33-centimeter) Dutch oven or stockpot and warm olive oil over medium heat. Sear the sausage, rotating pieces until a rich golden-brown color develops, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer browned sausage to a separate bowl using a slotted spoon.
- Pat chicken pieces completely dry using paper towels and generously season both surfaces with salt and black pepper. Position chicken skin-side down in the pot, cooking over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until achieving a crisp, caramelized exterior. Flip and cook an additional 5 minutes before relocating to the sausage bowl.
- Introduce butter to the pot, then incorporate onions, bell peppers, celery, and season with salt and black pepper. Sauté ingredients for approximately 10 minutes, allowing onions to become translucent and vegetables to soften.
- Integrate diced tomatoes, chopped jalapeños, minced garlic, tomato paste, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, and an additional 1½ teaspoons salt. Stir and cook for 2 minutes to develop flavor complexity. Deglaze the pot by pouring white wine and scraping accumulated browned bits from the bottom.
- Pour chicken stock into the pot, then add uncooked rice, previously cooked sausage, chicken pieces, and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, allowing rice to absorb flavors.
- Gently fold raw shrimp into the simmering mixture, ensuring they are evenly distributed. Cover and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes until shrimp turn opaque and become tender.
- Remove pot from heat and fold in freshly chopped parsley, sliced scallions, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Allow the dish to steam, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, enabling rice to reach perfect tenderness and shrimp to complete cooking. Discard bay leaves before serving. Garnish with extra parsley and scallions for a vibrant presentation.
Notes
- Resting Perfection: Letting the jambalaya sit covered after cooking allows flavors to meld and deepen, creating a more complex and delicious final dish.
- Rice Readiness: Carefully monitor the rice texture before adding shrimp, ensuring it’s almost fully cooked but still slightly firm to prevent overcooking.
- Gentle Simmering: Use a low, steady heat when cooking rice to guarantee even cooking and prevent burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Meat Browning Technique: Thoroughly brown sausage and chicken to develop rich, caramelized flavors that will enhance the overall taste of the jambalaya.
- Strategic Layering: Build depth by cooking ingredients in stages, allowing each component to contribute its unique flavor profile to the final dish.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Cajun/Creole
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 510 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 870 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Cholesterol: 145 mg