creole red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, & andouille

Last Saturday when I got home from work I started making dinner.

creole red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, & andouille | Brooklyn Homemaker

I cut up some broccoli, crisped up some bacon, made a béchamel, boiled some noodles, and grated a heaping pile of aged Irish cheddar. After mixing all the ingredients for my homemade macaroni & cheese together I turned the oven on to preheat while I melted a little butter for my bread crumb topping.

With the weighty casserole ready to go into the oven to bubble and crisp, I reached down to open the oven door. That’s when I noticed it wasn’t hot.
Panic.

creole red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, & andouille | Brooklyn Homemaker

Though you wouldn’t know if from the number of baked goods I turn out of my kitchen, I have been having trouble with my oven for over a year. I won’t get into all the specifics, but it basically starts to preheat but will turn off before coming to temperature. After months of dealing with it I finally figured out that if I switched on the range it would trick the oven to turning back on and I’d be in business.
That is, until the night that I had a big dish of macaroni and cheese waiting to bake. No amount of trickery or tinkering could induce my ancient apartment oven to turn on.

A broken oven. My worst nightmare.
I wanted to cry.

creole red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, & andouille | Brooklyn Homemaker

I wrapped the macaroni and cheese up and put it into the refrigerator, crossing my fingers that it would miraculously work again the next day. Nope.

Of course my landlord is dragging feet his feet about getting it fixed too. Doesn’t he know who I am?

creole red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, & andouille | Brooklyn Homemaker

A few days later we finally got a repair man in to take a look. After less than five minutes of tinkering he blithely says, “Oh it’s just a blown fuse.”
I had just enough time to breath a sigh of relief before he continued, “Of course I don’t have one with me, and it’s out of stock. We’ll have to order it. We’ll call you in a few days.”
Way to toy with my fragile emotions Mr. Evil Repair Man. After he left I microwaved a bowl of never-baked macaroni and cheese and cried into it.

Another day passed before I heard back from them, and just my luck, this tiny stupid fuse is backordered from the manufacturer and they don’t know when it’ll be back in stock. What are the chances?
When it’s my oven we’re talking about? 100%.

creole red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, & andouille | Brooklyn Homemaker

I could use this as an opportunity to make no-bake recipes and experiment with any number of savory stove top recipes. But, of course in the absence of my oven, all I want to do is bake. I even want to bake things I would normally do on the stove top! I’m suddenly overwhelmed by cravings for baked eggs, roasted chicken, twice baked potatoes, roasted cauliflower. My urge to bake cookies, usually strong enough already, is suddenly all consuming. I’m overcome with worry that I won’t be able to participate in this month’s #bundtbakers, which is fast approaching.

Wallowing rather than overcoming, I can’t think of a single thing that I could share here that wouldn’t require a functional oven. Forget the fact that at least half or more of the recipes I’ve posted up until now haven’t.

creole red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, & andouille | Brooklyn Homemaker

Then, one morning I wake up and suddenly I NEED to make jambalaya. I consult my favorite recipe to make a few tweaks. I consult other recipes to see what else could be improved on. Oddly enough, I discover a few recipes that call for the jambalaya to be assembled on the stovetop and finished in the oven! WHAT?!?! WHY!?!!?! Okay, forget that. Back to the original stovetop recipe I was looking at.

creole red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, & andouille | Brooklyn Homemaker

My recipe hunt turned up so many different variations on jambalaya that I decided to turn to Wikipedia for some clarification. As it turns out, there are actually three distinct varieties of jambalaya, depending on the regions they come from and the ingredients used.

The style I made is called a red Creole jambalaya, or a city Creole jambalaya. This is the most common style, and the main difference between this and other varieties is the use of tomatoes. The less common rural Creole jambalaya is almost identical but uses no tomatoes in the recipe. The third, and even less common variety is the Cajun or “white” jambalaya, in which the rice is cooked in broth separately from the meat and vegetables and combined just before serving.

Most people believe Creole red jambalaya was created as a way to make Spanish Paella without using saffron which was very hard to come by at the time. Tomatoes were added in place of the saffron for flavor, but eventually the other two styles came about without the tomatoes.

creole red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, & andouille | Brooklyn Homemaker

The house smells completely heavenly while this bubbles away on the stovetop (and not in the oven), and the flavor could not be more amazing. Tender rice, perfectly cooked shrimp, soft cooked vegetables, and andouille with a nice bit of bite. The fresh herbs, crushed tomatoes, and spices combine to make one of the most flavorful dishes I’ve had in a good long time. Using smoked paprika really makes a difference to impart a nice smoky depth to the dish and the cayenne adds a welcome bit of heat.

Depending on how spicy you like things, the heat level can definitely be adjusted to your taste. I like mine quite spicy so I used the full teaspoon of cayenne. One teaspoon might not sound like much, but a little goes a long way and gave this big pot of jambalaya some serious heat. Feel free to scale it back to 1/2 or even 1/4 teaspoon if you can’t take the heat, but I beg you not to skip it altogether or you’re not doing it right!

creole red jambalaya with chicken, shrimp, & andouille | Brooklyn Homemaker

Creole Red Jambalaya with Chicken, Shrimp, & Andouille

  • Servings: about 8 to 10
  • Print
adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon for the Fix

1 tablespoon olive oil (or bacon grease, if you have it, will add a bit of welcome smokiness)
12 to 16 oz. Andouille sausage, thinly sliced
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into small bite sized cubes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 to 3 ribs of celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups of corn kernels (fresh is best but frozen is fine)
2 cups long grain rice
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon thyme, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (to your taste)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 (15 oz) can, crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken stock
1 lb. shrimp, cleaned peeled and deveined

garnish:
fresh thyme, parsley, or green onion

Preheat 1 tablespoon of oil or grease in a heavy stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown andouille for about 5 minutes, remove from oven, leaving grease, and set aside.
Add chicken thighs, season with salt and pepper, and cook about 5 minutes. They don’t need to be cooked through, just have a bit of color on them. Remove and set aside with sausage
Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until onions barely begin to look translucent.  Season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic and corn and continue to sauté for 2 minutes more.
Add rice, herbs and spices and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, stock, chicken thighs, and sausage. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer and cover. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked about 2/3 of the way, then add shrimp by gently pressing shrimp slightly into the mixture. DO NOT STIR while rice is cooking.
Cover again and continue to simmer for 7 to 10 minutes or until rice is cooked through and the liquid has evaporated.
Gently toss jambalaya together to incorporate shrimp and fluff the rice. Top with chopped parsley or sliced green onion, and serve.

29 comments

  1. I’ve been looking for a good Cajun recipe. Def trying this. Soooo sorry about your oven. Can you borrow a neighbor’s? Just for a quick fix?

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. Oh, Tux… are you going to be ok? Do you think you will need therapy for you DT’s? ;) I would be livid!! If you’re crying into that jambalaya then at least tears are salty and will pair nicely with the shrimp. I’m sorry you have to go through the drama with your oven, but at least we followers get a recipe regardless! :)

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  3. I recently did a jambalaya like this. I loved how easy it was to cook the shrimp just by throwing them on top of the rice and cooking for a few more minutes!

    Next time try simmering the shrimp shells in the chicken stock for 10 minutes before you use it to cook the rice. It gives the whole dish an amazing subtle shrimp flavor.

    Looks great!

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  4. You have my sympathies! I went five months without an oven once (waiting for the insurance company to pay out) and it seriously cramped my cooking style. It took me much longer than you to accept the situation and get creative with the stovetop.

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    1. I once lived in an apartment that didn’t even have an oven- just a two burner electric range top, and it was definitely a learning experience. But it’s been a long time since then and I’m having a hard time getting back into the swing of it! Hopefully it should be fixed Monday!

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  6. BaHa its not funny! The way you describe it is humorous to me. I would be S-O-O-L if my oven(s) did not work! Mindfully devastated you see. Luckily the back kitchen has 6 burner commercial gas and front new kitchen has ss glass stove top/oven only 3 years old. I do so much cooking and baking let me tell you on a daily basis, 3 square meals, 7 days a week. Including desserts and snacks. When you’re a Mom to 5 you MUST! Yes really…Has the landlord considered a new stove/oven for you two good tenants? Or would the landlord then need to increase your rental amount monthly?

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    1. ;) If I couldn’t make light of the situation I don’t think I could take it! I’m jealous of your two ovens, though I don’t think I could handle for cooking for such a crowd! Sometimes just me Russell and the dogs is too much for me to handle! haha!

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      1. The older part of the home was the original summer kitchen which I wanted to keep my Father owned a Restaurant and was selling that business after 22+ years, so I asked for the commercial newest stove (since Gas was originally there). I like cooking with Gas for a lot of food stuff. Then I designed the new front kitchen/great room and of course both ss and glass top electric is in the new part. Sometimes when company from out of state visits (which is often at least two times a month) and my extended family comes over I cook for 28-32 people. An average birthday party can be up to 80 people. I love cooking and baking and having a large family that warrants 3 square meals a day, 7 days a week plus desserts and snacks. When my children were babies I made all their baby food from scratch! I rarely to never fry any foods. Fast Food is not part of our lives. It has never been. I was raised with 4 brothers (big appetites) my Mother cooked and baked every day. Its just what you are used to. I do not look at it as a chore. I get a lot of pleasure writing, creating, tweaking new recipes for my family and friends. I think you and Russell and the girls are doing wonderful. Now when that oven gets repaired you’ll be busy baking once again!!! You do a wonderful job with that Tux, you are very gifted.

        Liked by 1 person

  7. Love this – I can’t wait to give it a try. So sorry to hear about your oven troubles – if it goes too long, you might want to look into tenant rights. Hang in there.

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    1. I’ve had to look into my rights several times with my landlord. He has the right to raise our rent if he has to replace the oven so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it can be fixed. They’re coming back monday. Here’s hoping!

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  8. This sounds wonderful Tux, but I hate to ask, any ideas on substitutes for the Andouille sausage? You’re probably going to say its not Jambalaya without it, but I’m pretty sure you can’t get it in Australia so ideas welcome…oh, and sending working oven vibes your way :)

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. I actually think a nice smoky kielbasa could work really well if you can’t find andouille- the andouille is spicier and isn’t as fatty or as sweet as kielbasa so it won’t be exactly the same, but in a pinch I think it’s a good option

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  9. This looks amazing! You really nailed the lighting – it looks so warm! Also, I think maybe you should convince your landlord to get you a Viking …then blog all about it so that i can live vicariously through you! Deal?

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  12. How serendipitous—jambalaya has been on my mind and in my conversations lately. Perfect.
    OMG your oven saga—-we all relate. But I have to say I laughed when you started craving all the food you wanted that had to be baked. You put out another stupendous post and recipe however in spite of all odds.

    I don’t normally talk about ME, but please note the slight name change from Wild Goose Tea. New web design too—whoopee and adding some new features along the way.

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    1. Hi Carol! The oven is finally fixed and we just finished some baked chicken and Russell made twice baked potatoes! We got our fix!
      Im so excited for you and your new web design- I’ll have to head over and poke around and see the changes!

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