Chicken, Andouille, & Tasso, Jambalaya
This is a Cajun jambalaya, not a creole jambalaya.
So
what's the difference? Cajun food is simpler country/bayou
food, while Creole is fancier city food. Think New Orleans
restaurant vs grandma's. Creole foods tend to have more or
fancier sauces. You won't find a bechamel sauce in Cajun
dishes. Cajun dishes tend to use less tomatoes than Creole. If
every jambalaya you've ever had, had tomatoes in it, try one
without. It's delicious.
The most important part to making good jambalaya is to use the
right pot. Non-stick, stainless steel, or anodized aluminum
just won't do. You need a plain cast iron pot or an enameled
cast iron pot and a good stiff spatula. When you use a cast
iron pot, you can create a "graton" or "fond". Graton is the
brown stuff that sticks to the the bottom of the pot when you
are making jambalaya. It gives jambalaya it's distinctive
brown color and taste. I use a 12 quart cast iron Dutch oven,
or a 7.3 or 4.3 quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven.
Lastly, the big pot makes a ton of jambalaya. It nearly fills
our 7.3 quart cast Iron Dutch oven and it feeds at least 8 to
10 hungry people. The small pot fills our 4.3 quart Dutch oven
and feeds half that.
Big Pot
|
Small Pot
|
|
|
2 lb
|
1 lb
|
andouille
sausage, sliced ⅛" thick
|
|
2 ½
lb (approx 6)
|
1¼ lb (approx 3)
|
boneless
& skinless chicken thighs cut into ½" cubes
|
|
1 lb
|
½ lb
|
tasso cut into ½" cubes
|
|
3
|
1½
|
medium
onions, chopped
|
|
5
cups
|
2½ cups
|
chicken
stock
|
|
3
cups
|
1½ cups
|
parboiled
(converted) rice
|
|
2 tsp
|
1 tsp
|
granulated
garlic
|
|
1½
tsp
|
¾ tsp
|
dry
basil
|
|
½ tsp
|
¼ tsp
|
dry
thyme
|
|
1 tsp
|
½ tsp
|
black
pepper
|
|
2 tsp
|
1 tsp
|
salt
|
|
2 tbl
|
1 tbl
|
parsley,
chopped
|
Turn the heat
to medium high and heat the dutch oven. After the dutch
oven is hot, add the andouille and cook for approximately 5
minutes, stirring often. The sausage should brown, making
a "graton" on the bottom of the pot. Scrape the graton off
as it forms, as this is the secret to a good jambalaya.
Add the
chicken and cook, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes or until
the chicken is thoroughly cooked but not to the point where it
shreds. Keep scraping the graton off.
Lower the
heat to medium and add the onions and garlic. Cook until
the onions are clear, continuing to scrape the graton from the
pot.
Add the tasso, thyme, basil, pepper, and
salt. Simmer over low heat for ten minutes. Add the
chicken stock, turn the heat up, and bring everything to a
boil. Stir in the rice and parsley, set the heat to low,
cover the pot and cook for 25 minutes.
Remove the
lid. If the jambalaya is a little wet continue cooking
with the lid off until it dries out. Serve.
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