How to Make the Cajun Chicken and Ham Jambalaya

Jambalaya was created in Creole cuisine in the late 1700's in church gatherings or large cook outs, and it took on the flavor of added local ingredients. It can be made with all kinds of meats and seafood to which is added to rice, vegetables and heavy seasonings. Highly flavored Jambalaya tastes best; don't forget the red pepper, add lots of it. The rice absorbs incredible amount of salt, so add many as well.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 6 pieces of boneless chicken thighs
• 2 cups cubed cooked ham
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 6 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 large white onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 4 cups of peanut oil
• 2-1/2 cups white rice
• 2-1/2 cups water
• 1 12oz. beer
• Cornstarch, to coat chicken
• 1 teaspoons rosemary
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• 3-4 drops hot pepper sauce
• Salt to taste

1. Wash the chicken and placing it skin side down on a plate; you can remove the skin if you want. Coat the chicken with Cayenne pepper until red, it will cook into the rest of the dish, so don't worry as it will not be that hot. Now, turn the chicken pieces over and coat the skin side with cayenne pepper also. Let it marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Place the cornstarch, salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper and garlic powder in a food storage bag. Shake the bag a bit to mix all the contents. Place 2 chicken pieces at a time into the bag and shake to coat.

3. 
    
   photo credit www.buttermilkpress.com

   Heat the peanut oil over high heat in a large heavy skillet; cast iron is best. Turn down heat to medium-high. Brown the chickens. Turn off heat when they are browned, remove to plate and set aside.

4. Drain oil in pan until there is only about 2 tablespoons left. Turn heat back on over medium, add the onions, garlic, celery and bell
   peppers in; fry them until the onions are transparent. Remember to scrape the bottom of the pan often.

5. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme and cook for about one minute. Place the ham, chicken, and some water into the pot. Mix well with the vegetables. Turn heat down (to low or medium-low), cover with lid. Simmer for about 35 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Check the mixture frequently, add a little water if it gets too dry. Scrape the bottom often to keep from burning.

6. Add the rice, few drops of hot pepper sauce and stir well with the content in the pan. Pour beer and stir things for an additional minute. Keeping the heat low and cover the pot. Cook until the rice is tender; about 45 minutes. Stir the mixture often in that 45 minutes and add water if content becomes dry, scrape the pan bottom frequent to prevent stick-on food.

7. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Tips & Warnings

• Chefs prefer to cook in cast iron pots, if you don't have one, make sure your pan is heavy enough to prevent easy burning, and it should have a lid.

[MotherDove]

on 12/5/2008 oh, yum! I know that I can't take that much cayenne but that's the beauty of your recipe - I can adjust the seasonings to my taste. This is a must-have recipe for any cook!