I recently attended my sisters bachelorette party, this is the last sister to get married :), and we had a nice dinner planned at a restaurant that I have been to a few times. I have always enjoyed everything I have ordered from this place that is until I ordered one of their specials on this particular night: Jambalaya. Now this should be full of complex flavors and should taste a certain way, right? This particular one tasted so bland, like rice, chicken, very little sausage (no shrimp) with some tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. NO spice whatsoever. Doesn’t sound yummy, does it?! I was extremely disappointed, and it set me on a mission to make this at home!
And I present you with this recipe! It is a take on the amazing Emeril’s jambalaya. I tweaked it a smidge, and I love it! The flavors are perfect, and I can’t get enough. To my surprise, my kids love it too, which is great because I was a little worried they would freak out and say they didn’t want it! They ate it up. Makes things a little easier when you’re not trying hard to make your kids eat their dinner.
In the recipe, I say to use 2 Tbsp of creole seasoning. I actually used a half a tablespoon more because I like it to have more of a kick. So in my opinion, it’s a good idea to start with the 2 tablespoons and add more to taste. Or if you don’t want much of a kick, you can start with just 1 Tbsp. It’s better to start off with less and add more to taste. I hope this recipe is a success in your home! Enjoy!
- 12-16 Medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined and I like to cut in half
- 2 Chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
- 2 Tbsp creole seasoning, recipe below
- 2 Tbsp butter
- ¼ cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup celery, chopped
- 4-6 garlic, minced
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (drain some of the juice)
- 3 bay leaves
- ¾ cups uncooked rice
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 5 oz andouille sausage, sliced
- CREOLE SEASONING
- 2½ Tbsp paprika
- 2 Tbsp salt
- 2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp dried thyme
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1Tbsp cayenne pepper
- In a bowl mix together creole seasoning
- Add diced chicken to a bowl and add 1 Tbsp creole seasoning and toss to coat
- In another small bowl add shrimp and coat with additional 1 Tbsp of creole seasoning
- In a large saucepan add butter and heat over high heat
- Add onion, green peppers and celery cook for about 3 minutes
- Add garlic, worcestershire and hot sauce
- Add chicken and sausage and sauté about 5 minutes
- Stir in rice and then slowly add chicken broth and diced tomatoes and bay leaves
- Bring to simmer over medium to low heat
- Cover and continue to simmer about 10 minutes
- Then uncover and simmer stirring occasionally until rice is tender and has absorb most of the liquid about 10 minutes
- Add shrimp and stir cooking until shrimp is cook through about 5 minutes
- Cook longer if still too much liquid
- When finished remove from heat
- Serve and enjoy!