Ingredients
- 1 pound medium shrimp
- 2 boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces smoked sausage, such as andouille or Polish sausage, 1/4-inch slices
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped green onion
- 1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 cups long-grain rice
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, boil the shrimp over high heat just until they turn pink, about 2 minutes. Cool, peel, and devein the shrimp, reserving the shrimp and their shells separately.
- In a large saucepan, combine the chicken breasts, the reserved shrimp shells, 4 cups of water, half the chopped onion, half the chopped celery, 1/3 of the garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, until the chicken juices run clear yellow when pierced with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the cooking liquid.
- In a strainer set over a large bowl, drain and reserve the cooking liquid, discarding the shells and vegetables. If necessary, add enough water or chicken broth to make 4 cups. Chop the chicken coarsely and set aside with shrimp.
- Heat the oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy kettle. Add the sausage, green bell pepper, green onion, remaining 1/2 cup onion, remaining 1/4 cup celery, and remaining garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Stir in the reserved cooking liquid, the remaining teaspoon of salt, the tomatoes with their juice, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon. Stir in the rice; simmer over medium-low heat, tightly covered, until the rice has absorbed all the liquid, or about 25 minutes.
- Remove the kettle from the heat, stir in the reserved shrimp and chicken, cover, and heat through. If desired, sprinkle jambalaya with green onion or parsley before serving.
Photo: Eliza Adams on flickr / CC BY-NC-ND