Brown Rice Jambalaya

Bring a taste of New Orleans (the NOLA) to your household with this spicy creole jambalaya cuisine. A strictly shrimp and chicken rendition made with brown rice and a pork free version (no andouille sausage).

Course Main Entree

Cuisine American, southern

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 400kcal

Author Charla

Ingredients

To sear the chicken

2 tablespoon of olive oil (28g)
½ lb boneless chicken thighs (250g)
2 tablespoon cajun seasoning (14g) see notes

To make the jambalaya

2 tablespoon olive oil (28g)
1 medium sized onion
3 celery stalks chopped
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
14 oz can of tomato in juice (400g)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon of garlic powder (8g)
1 teaspoon black pepper (2g)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (8g) stem removed
½ teaspoon paprika (2g)
2 teaspoon oregano (4g)
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning (8g) see post
3½ cups of veggie stock (828ml) see post
1 ½ cups of rice (305g) thoroughly rinsed
1½ lb shrimp (680g) peeled and de vained
additional cajun seasoning, pink salt and black pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To sear the chicken

Heat the pan on medium with the olive oil.
Season and coat the chicken thighs with 2 tablespoon of cajun seasoning, then add to the pan to sear (this should take several minutes).
Once the chicken has browned, remove it from the pan and set aside.

To make the jambalaya

Replenish the pan with 2 tablespoon of olive oil then add the holy trinity - bell peppers, chopped celery and onions.
Saute the holy trinity for 5-6 minutes until the onions are translucent and slightly golden.
Pour in the chopped tomatoes, followed by the Seasoning - garlic powder, paprika, oregano, black pepper, thyme, bay leaves along with 2tbsp of cajun seasoning.
Stir until all of the veggies and herbs/spices are combined.
Add the vegetable broth and bring the pan to a rolling boil.
Add the rice to the pan and stir so everything is well combined.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for roughly 40- 50 minutes or until the rice absorbs most of the liquid.
Remove the lid then finally fold in the chicken thighs and shrimp.
Allow the jambalaya to cook for a further 5-6 minutes or until the shrimp is slightly pink in colour.
Do a taste test and adjust for further seasoning adding more cajun seasoning, pink salt and black pepper to taste.
Remove the bay leaves and serve while hot.

Notes

I used my Homemade Vegetable Broth and Homemade Seasoning Mix to make this recipe.
Keep in mind this recipe serves up to 6 people.
This is the recipe of the Cajun Seasoning that I used.
You need a large skillet/frying pan with the circumference of 30cm
It's best to use long grain rice (wild or brown rice) works best.
If you want your jambalaya to be extremely spicy then I suggest adding more seasoning towards the end when doing a taste test.
In terms of storage, you can freeze any leftovers although it is best to consume the jambalaya immediately.
Make sure you are using raw shrimp (tails on or off, it's your choice) to make your jambalaya because they are less likely to become rubbery.
Try not to re-heat the dish or this will compromise the texture of the shrimp.

Nutrition