Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
4 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
200grams chorizo sausage or similar, sliced
1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning
1 medium onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1/2 red capsicum, deseeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
1 1/2 cups raw long-grain rice
250mls of tomato based pasta sauce (or homemade)
2 cups of chicken stock, low-sodium chicken broth, or water
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
450grams large prawns (20-25 count), peeled

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2.Heat the oil in a 30cm cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste on both sides and add to the hot oil. Cook until browned on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes total. Remove to a plate.

3. Pour off any rendered fat in the skillet and discard. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat starts to brown and render fat, about 3 minutes. Add the Cajun seasoning and stir to combine. Add the onion, celery, and capsicum; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to colour, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the rice and stir to coat. Stir in the tomato sauce and stock and bring to a boil. Return the seared chicken thighs to the skillet and nestle them, without crowding, into the rice. Tuck the bay leaf into the rice. Transfer to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

4. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Continue to bake, uncovered, until the rice is tender, the shrimp are opaque, and the juices of the chicken run clear when pierced with the tip of a knife, signifying the chicken is done. This should be about 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven to a wire rack to cool slightly. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Spoon the jambalaya into warm serving bowls. Serve immediately.

Credit: VIRGINIA WILLIS

Virginia Willis is an American chef, writer, content creator, and food photographer whose work has focused on American Southern and French cuisine.