Grilled Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya | Texas Butter Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good jambalaya? ›

Black pepper, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, and hot sauce are the backbone of a great jambalaya. You can also add in some tomato paste or tomato powder, which creates a little sweetness.

jambalaya. noun. jam·​ba·​laya ˌjəm-bə-ˈlī-ə : rice cooked with ham, sausage, chicken, shrimps, or oysters and seasoned with herbs.

The best rice type of rice to use for jambalaya is a long grain white rice. Basmati is also a great alternative if you don't have long grain white rice available. Quick rice or any kind of short grain white rice is not recommended. Unless you cook the rice beforehand, set aside and mix in later.

Traditional Ingredients for Jambalaya

Chicken, pork, and sausage are often added when using meat, and shrimp, crab, and crawfish are traditional seafood options. Our recipe goes heavy on the meat, using bite-size pieces of chicken thighs and slices of spicy Andouille sausage.

The one ingredient that seems to be fairly constant in all Jambalaya preparations though is some kind of sausage, and preferably a smoked one. Andouille, a spicy smoked sausage native to Louisiana, is the traditional choice.

Cajun vs.

Creole jambalaya, also known as red jambalaya, contains tomatoes. Cajun or brown jambalaya does not. Jambalaya isn't thickened with roux, although some cooks do include a little skillet-browned flour.

A hearty blend of rice, meats, vegetables, and lots of seasoning, jambalaya is a cold-weather comfort food that is sure to please everyone. There are two types of jambalaya: Cajun and Creole.

Two main categories of jambalaya exist: Creole (or red) jambalaya, which is associated with the city of New Orleans and contains tomato, and Cajun (or brown) jambalaya, which contains no tomato and is more common in other parts of Louisiana. The recipe I'm focusing on here is the former, with tomato.

Jambalaya & Sazerac

Sazerac is the official drink of New Orleans. Prepare by taking an absinthe-lined glass and Sazerac rye whiskey — they are a great native pairing!

What is the holy trinity of jambalaya? ›

The "holy trinity" in Cajun cuisine and Louisiana Creole cuisine is the base for several dishes in the regional cuisines of Louisiana and consists of onions, bell peppers and celery. The preparation of Cajun/Creole dishes such as crawfish étouffée, gumbo, and jambalaya all start from this base.

One of the biggest complaints when making jambalaya is that the rice ends up mushy. And there's two main culprits of this – choosing the wrong type of rice and over-stirring. For this recipe, you want long-grain white rice, like basmati or jasmine. Don't use short-grain rice.

"The answers were '3 cups rice to a pound of meat,' or 'in this size pot you can feed 25 people. ' It was always a ratio. I wanted to learn how to cook (jambalaya), so I started to keep track of those."

Stir in the rice and simmer for 10 minutes, then turn the rice once, cover with a tight lid, turn down the heat and steam gently for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and add the prawns and sausage, turn the rice once, then replace the lid and leave to sit for 10 minutes.

To make classic jambalaya, you will need: The Cajun/Creole “holy trinity”: Celery, onion and green bell pepper (although for some extra color, I've also used red and yellow bell peppers). Jalapeño and cayenne: For heat. Feel free to add more or less of either, depending on your heat preferences.

Creole jambalaya includes tomatoes—possibly a sub for paella's saffron (a once out-of-reach ingredient for southern Louisianans). Cajun jambalaya, found more frequently further outside of New Orleans, omits tomatoes, yielding distinctly cooked grains, garnished with chicken, sausage, and later, spring onions.