Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good jambalaya? ›

The richness of the stock, the slow build of Creole spices, and the way the meat is cooked — in this case, caramelizing the sausage, which coaxes out more flavor and adds that appealing browned finish — also contribute to the deep, complex layers of this dish.

The origins of jambalaya were probably a paella-type dish from Southwest France and Catalan Spain, but with what was available locally in Louisiana rather than olive oil and saffron. The combination of green peppers, celery and onions is known as the 'holy trinity' and is the flavour that most typifies Creole cookery.

It's packed with protein in the shrimp, chicken and sausage. Brown rice is your healthy source for carbohydrates. Obviously this is a meal for later on in your bariatric surgery recovery when you are comfortable eating different things all in the same meal.

White rice: Long grain is traditional, but short grain white rice also works. Okra: Fresh or frozen; we will use this to help thicken the jambalaya. Salt and Black Pepper: Very important! Don't forget to taste and season with salt and pepper to taste at the end.

Spruced this up even more by using shallot, celery, bell pepper, and adding sausage and shrimp. I added peas and green onion, celery leaf just before finishing. Easy, semi-homemade, delish!

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.

A cajun jambalaya, I'm reliably informed, should be somewhat dry, even slightly browned on the bottom, which rules out the soupier, wetter texture of those creole versions using tomatoes (Oliver advises cooks to aim for a “porridgey” consistency).

Etymology. The Oxford English Dictionary indicates that jambalaya comes from the Provençal word jambalaia, meaning a mish mash, or mixup, and also meaning a pilaf (pilau) of rice. This is supported by the fact that the first printed appearance of the word is in a Provençal poem published in 1837.

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.

Is jambalaya black food? ›

Jambalaya has influences of Spanish, French, African, Native American and Caribbean cooking styles and produce. Perhaps the most obvious of these is Spanish, due to the dish's similarity to paella, which was brought to New Orleans by foreign explorers.

Let's take a look at the Jambalaya. For example, we've got fish, sausage, shrimp, and veggies, with rice as the main carbohydrate. The good news? The veggies are negligible in terms of their impact on blood sugar levels, and the veggies won't contribute any carbs to speak of.

Should jambalaya be thick or soupy? Jambalaya should come out like any other meat and rice dish that you'd make in a skillet or braiser. The rice should be moist, but there shouldn't be too much extra moisture.

If you don't rinse it away, the starch creates a gluey film as the rice cooks. Rinse away the extra starch and the rice will be sticky enough to fluff up, but not too gummy. If you've been having trouble achieving the “just right” texture with your rice, try adding the rinsing step to your prep.

Jambalaya vs. dirty rice: There are a few differences in terms of ingredients required for these two dishes, but the main difference comes down to the rice. While jambalaya cooks uncooked rice in the meat and vegetable mixture, dirty rice uses pre-cooked white rice that is sautéed with the veggies and meat.

The Holy Trinity is the Cajun and Creole counterpart to this trio, consisting of onion, celery, and rather than carrot, green bell peppers. Just like mirepoix, the Holy Trinity is one of the first things to hit the pan, acting as an aromatic base for dishes like Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Crawfish Étouffée.

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.

One of the primary differences in Cajun jambalaya as opposed to the Creole variant is the absence of tomatoes. Instead, it relies on a dark roux (which is a cooked mixture of flour and fat) to achieve a deep, smoky flavor. Country meats like andouille sausage, tasso ham, or game meats take center stage.

Cajun jambalaya usually has a brown colour due to the meat dissolving in the broth. It also has a smokier flavour because of the meat being allowed to brown first.