Roger’s Jambalaya

• servings: 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 pound [453 g] boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch [2.5-cm] cubes

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried red chile powder (ground ancho or chipotle are my favorites, but use whatever you have)

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ pound [227 g] smoked andouille sausage, cut into thin coins

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

2 large celery stalks, finely chopped

2 green bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

One 14.5-ounce [411 g] can diced tomatoes with their juice

3 cups [720 ml] chicken stock (homemade, store-bought, or bouillon paste dissolved in boiling water)

1 cup [200 g] long-grain white rice

½ pound [227 g] medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (optional)

A large handful thinly sliced green onion

Directions

Place the chicken in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt, black pepper, chile powder, and cayenne.

Mix everything together and let the chicken sit at room temperature while you cook the sausage.

Place the olive oil in a large, heavy pot Clike a Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring now and then, until its fat has rendered and it's crisp in spots, about 7 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a bowl (leave the fat in the pot) and add the seasoned chicken to the pot.

Cook the chicken, stirring now and then, until it's browned in spots and just cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Use that same slotted spoon to transfer it to the bowl with the sausage.

Add the onion, celery, and bell peppers to the pot and cook, stirring now and then, until they're just softened, about 10 minutes.

Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until very fragrant, just a minute.

Add the diced tomatoes along with their juice and the chicken stock.

Turn the heat to high, bring the mixture to a boil, and then turn it to low. Taste the mixture and season with salt as needed.

Stir in the reserved sausage and chicken and the rice. Cover and cook just until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Uncover the pot, stir in the shrimp (if using), and then cover the pot, turn off the heat, and let the jambalaya sit for 10 minutes so the shrimp cook through from the residual heat and the rice has time to really soak everything in.

Serve the jambalaya hot with scallions sprinkled on top.

Notes

From: ‘Simply Julia’ by Julia Turshen