Spicy jambalaya recipe

Jambalaya is a recipe I've been cooking since 1994. It's also something which I seem to cook differently every time, and if you search around the internet, you will find dozens of different variations on this spicy rice dish.

It is a Louisiana Creole recipe based on paella, and cooked in one pot, meat, vegetables and rice together. The Cajun version doesn't contain tomatoes.

The recipe here mixes influences from both styles, using chilies and Cajun spices, but also including the tomatoes. The traditional versions use celery, which I didn't include here, but of course, you can add it when you try out the recipe yourself!

olive oil
3 chicken thigh fillets, cut into strips
1 red onion
3 rashers bacon, chopped
75g chorizo sausage, chopped
1 small red bell pepper
1 small green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 jalapeno chilies, chopped
1 tsp paprika powder
3 tsp Cajun spice mixture
1 cup rice
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tbsp warm water
12 tiger prawns

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and cook the chicken in batches for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Don't be tempted to cook all the chicken at the same time, as the moisture released can cause the chicken to poach, rather than fry and brown.

Remove the chicken, and keep it warm.

Add the onions to the pan and cook for a few minutes until softened, and then add the bacon and chorizo sausage.

Continue cooking for 5 minutes until browned.

Once the onion, bacon and chorizo are nicely browned, add the red and green bell peppers and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Then add the chilies, garlic, paprika and Cajun spice mixture.

Continue cooking for a further 2 minutes.

Add the rice and stir it into the mixture.

Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and saffron mixture.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Finally add the prawns and previously cooked chicken, stir to mix all the ingredients, cover, and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the rice is done.

And that's it. Jambalaya...done!