One-Pot Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya
Rice cooked directly in a dark, Cajun-spiced stock with browned chicken and andouille, shrimp folded in at the very end so it never turns rubbery.
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Written
Method
-
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear in the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat until browned on all sides, then remove.
-
Brown the andouille in the same fat until the edges crisp, then remove it with the chicken.
-
Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the pot and cook until the onion turns translucent.
-
Stir in the garlic, Cajun seasoning, and tomato paste, and cook until the paste darkens and smells sweet rather than sharp.
-
Add the rice and stir to coat every grain in fat, toasting for a minute until the edges look chalky.
-
Pour in the stock, drop in the bay leaves, and return the chicken and andouille to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce the heat to low.
-
Cook undisturbed until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes — resist lifting the lid.
-
Nestle the shrimp into the rice, cover again, and cook until they’ve just turned opaque, 4 to 5 minutes.
-
Discard the bay leaves, fluff with a fork, and let it sit off the heat for 5 minutes before serving with scallions and hot sauce.
Notes
The rice is doing the work a roux does in gumbo — it’s what turns a pot of browned meat and stock into a dish that holds together — so the fond from searing the chicken and andouille matters more than any single spice. Scrape it all up when the trinity goes in.
Keep the lid on once the rice is covered; every peek lets steam out and leaves you with a scorched bottom and undercooked top. If shrimp isn’t around, leave it out entirely rather than swapping in a different shellfish — the chicken and andouille carry the dish on their own.