Sausage
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.

There are a few things that are important when making a good jambalaya. First, use the right pot. Non-stick, stainless steel, or anodized aluminum just won't do. You need a plain cast iron or 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 7.3 or 12 quart cast iron Dutch oven for a big batch , and a 4.3 quart Dutch oven for the small batch. Second, real tasso. Tasso is highly spices smoked pork and it adds most of the spice in this recipe. Homemade tasso is best, and easy to make. Store bought tasso is good, plain ham works if you can't get tasso, but it just isn't the same.

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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