Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya

We’re moving on to part 5 of Emeril’s One-Pot Blogger Cooking Party today!  You can find the first four dishes here.  This one was sort of a no-brainer when Shane and I were deciding what to make.  I’ve never been to New Orleans but to me it’s synonymous with dishes like jambalaya.  And one of the chefs that immediately comes to mind when i think of New Orleans is Emeril Lagasse (John Besh is the other, in case you were wondering).  I couldn’t really cook nine recipes from Emeril’s new book and not make jambalaya, could I?  No, I didn’t think so either.

It was my first attempt at jambalaya – probably the first time I’ve ever eaten it in fact – but Emeril’s recipe is packed with all sorts of good things I knew we’d enjoy.  Chicken thighs, andouille sausage, tomatoes, rice, herbs and spices (among others) – it’s a bit of a long ingredient list, but nothing unusual or hard to find.  As always, I omitted the green pepper (one of the few veggies that gets no love at my house), and I also halved the recipe.  The chicken thighs and sausage are browned, the veggies are caramelized just slightly and then a flavorful broth is created with tomatoes, chicken stock and spices.  The rice is cooked in this broth and absorbs all the delicious flavor.  I was most nervous about cooking the rice: would it absorb all the liquid and tenderize?  would it be too mushy?  would it overcook and stick to the bottom of the pan?  Can you tell I’ve had rice issues in the past?

All the worrying was for naught because this dish was absolutely perfect.  It’s moved into a tie with the bolognese for our favorite dishes from the book so far.  The chicken was tender, the sausage was super flavorful and the rice was light and fluffy.  We had plenty of leftovers, and they made for a great lunch when reheated.  One-pot dishes that can be made in my Dutch oven are my favorite as the weather gets cooler.  You can’t beat the simplicity, and because everything cooks together in just one pan, I find the meals are always incredibly flavorful.  It also doesn’t hurt that my Dutch oven is a happy shade of green, and it’s one of the few pans Shane always takes care of washing since it’s quite heavy 🙂

Unfortunately, I can’t share the recipe for the jambalaya, but you still have a chance to win your very own copy of the book!  Today is the last day to enter my giveaway, you can find all of the details here.

{Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders in exchange for participating in the party.  All of the opinions expressed are mine alone.}