Cajun Comes to Tennessee!

I realize that Mardi Gras was weeks ago, but I’ve been in the mood for some Cajun cooking (I’m reading a Louisiana cookbook at work). I decided to branch out and try something new and homemade (as opposed to opening a box of Zatarain’s, which is admittedly quite tasty, but not the same.)

We were meant to have a softball game Tuesday, but after 2 days of solid rain, the game was cancelled, so I invited my parents over as guinea pigs and made some Jambalaya.

I would say the only drawback to the recipe is the fact that it has to bake for 1½ hours, which will not be so great during the summer months when I’m trying to keep the house cool. I’m going to work on figuring out a way to “bake” it in a disposable pan on the grill to work around that. I’ll keep you posted on if/how that works out, because we will definitely be making this again.

There are several variations the recipe suggests, but I have listed the recipe how I made it. Instead of the chicken thighs, you may also use 1 whole chicken or 3 pounds cooked peeled shrimp. I was looking for easy and economical this time, and my chicken thighs were on sale. I got 2½ pounds for less that $5, whereas shrimp was not on sale and nearly $7 a pound.

Also, I must admit that I flubbed a bit and completely forgot an ingredient: the butter. It wasn’t until hours after we were done eating that I realized in my hurry to get it in the oven, I had overlooked it entirely. Everyone still really liked it, though, and it didn’t seem dry or anything. I would add it next time, but probably not the entire amount since nobody missed it in the first place. Might as well save some calories and fat where you can.

Also, andouille (a spicy, smoked sausage) can be difficult to locate in Middle Tennessee. I lucked out this time and found Johnsonville New Orleans Sausage, made andouille-style (found by their bratwursts and such.) I’m sure native Louisianans are rolling their eyes at me, but I thought it was delicious. And hey, we work with what we have, right?

Without further ado, here’s the recipe. It makes a large amount, so invite some friends over and dig in!

Jambalaya

2½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cooked and chopped

1 pound andouille, sliced

1 cup chopped green onions

¾ cup chopped bell pepper

½ cup chopped parsley

2 cups converted rice

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

½ cup water

1 (10-ounce) can French onion soup

1 (10-ounce) can beef broth

1½ teaspoons red pepper

4 bay leaves

1 tablespoon salt

Pinch of black pepper

½ cup (1 stick) butter

Layer the chicken, sausage, green onions, bell pepper, parsley and rice in a large baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Mix the tomato sauce, water, soup, broth,  red pepper, bay leaves, salt and black in bowl. Pour over the layers. Cut the butter into slices and place over the top. Bake, covered with foil, at 350 degrees for 1½ hours, stirring halfway through baking. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

To prepare in advance, bake for 45 minutes and then freeze. That and complete baking when ready to serve. Boneless chicken thighs may be used instead of a whole chicken. This recipe may be doubled.

Serves 8 to 10

The photo doesn't do it justice. Trust me; it was wonderful!

From Mardi Gras to Mistletoe by Junior League of Shreveport

This book is currently out of print, but it about to be reprinted. Keep your eyes open!