Jambalaya

Ingredients

• 1 lb Chicken Thighs Bone In. ( Boneless can be used but bone in is better)
• 1 lb Andouille Sausage if available or good quality fresh bratwurst or southern style sausage (Johnsonville Jimmy Dean ect)
• – 375gram Ring of Smoked Farmer Sausage cut into small chunks
• 1 lb of Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined Raw and chopped into chunks (Optional)
• -1 Tablespoon Bacon Fat or Cooking Oil
• 2 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter
• 2 cups of Long Grain Rice-
• 1 Red Pepper Chopped Fine
• 4 Stalks of Celery Diced Fine
• 1 Large Onion Diced Fine
• 2 cloves of Garlic Diced fine
• 2 cans of Ro-tel Diced Tomatoes With Peppers
• 4 cups of Chicken Stock
• 1/2 Cup White Wine
• 2 Tsp Old Bay Seasoning
• 1Tsp Black Pepper
• 2 Tsp Cajun Seasoning
• 2 Tsp Chicken Seasoning

Instructions

Prep: Pull the Skin and Fat off the Chicken Thighs, debone the chicken thighs using a small sharp paring knife or boning knife. Make a sharp incision along the bone and slowly run your knife down the bone. Pull the Chicken off the bone and cut. Once the chicken is cut off the bone, dice it into chunks. Set aside in a bowl. Use the Chicken Seasoning to Season Chicken

Take the casing off the fresh sausage and cut into chunks. Once this is done place in bowl. Add Cajun Seasoning to the Sausage

Shrimp need to fully thawed, no shells on a deveined, put aside in a bowl. add 1/2 the Old Bay Seasoning

Fine Dice the peppers, Onion and Celery and garlic (This is know as the Holy Trinity in Cajun Cooking)

In a Dutch Oven over medium heat, slowly render the chicken fat and skin ( this gives this dish great flavor). Once the fat is rendered and the chicken skin crisped up, remove it from the pan.

Place Chicken Thighs in Dutch Oven and slowly start to brown the chicken, once the chicken is brown, add the andouille sausage to the Dutch Oven. Once the chicken and sausage are brown, remove them from the Dutch Oven.

Place Bacon Fat and Butter into the Dutch Oven, add your Holy Trinity Vegetables and slowly start to cook till translucent. Then add your rice, turn down the Dutch Oven to low heat. Slowly brown the rice for about 20 min then add white wine to deglaze the pan. Add the rest of the Old Bay Seasoning to the Rice and Vegetable Mixture.

Add the Chicken Stock and Rot-el Tomatoes, Bring to a boil, Boil for about 7 min and turn down heat to a low simmer, add the Chicken and Sausage back to the Rice Mixture. Place a Lid on the Dutch Oven for about 15 min. Add the cooked sausage and shrimp once the rice is almost cooked, cook another 5 min with the lid on.

Turn Off the heat and let sit for 10 min.

Final thoughts

This a great one pot dish, to enjoy anytime. Its a great meal on a cold winter day