Jambalaya

Jambalaya (serves 4 to 6)

(Note that because I didn’t want to freeze the rice, I eliminated that step, and instead of resting the cooking chicken on the rice as the recipe indicates, it was still possible to gently rest it on the other ingredients in the pot; I froze the rest without the rice, and then cooked the rice separately when ready to serve. Several reviewers suggested that freezing the rice in the sauce would have left it gummy.)

Ingredients

1 medium onion, quartered lengthwise

1 medium rib celery, cut crosswise into quarters

1 medium red bell pepper, quartered lengthwise

5 medium cloves garlic

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (I used ½ thighs, ½ breasts)

8 ounces andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into ¼ -inch pieces (see note below)

1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (10 ounces)

1 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (see note below)

1 can diced tomatoes (14 1/2-ounce), drained, 1/4 cup juice reserved

1 cup clam juice (bottled)

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

3 bay leaves

1 pound medium shrimp (31 to 35 shrimp per pound), or large shrimp, shelled

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

1. In food processor, pulse onion, celery, red pepper, and garlic until chopped fine, about six 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice. Do not overprocess; vegetables should not be pureed.

2. Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and cook until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and add andouille; cook, stirring frequently, until browned, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel–lined plate and set aside.

3. Reduce heat to medium-low, add vegetables, and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Add rice, salt, thyme, and cayenne; cook, stirring frequently, until rice is coated with fat, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, clam juice, chicken broth, bay leaves, and browned sausage to pot; stir to combine. Remove and discard skin from chicken; place chicken, skinned-side down, on rice. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir once, keeping chicken on top, skinned-side down. Replace cover and continue to simmer until chicken is no longer pink when cut into with paring knife, about 10 minutes more; transfer chicken to clean plate and set aside. Scatter shrimp over rice, cover, and continue to cook until rice is fully tender and shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes more.

4. While shrimp are cooking, shred chicken. When shrimp are cooked, discard bay leaves; off heat, stir in parsley and shredded chicken, and serve immediately. *If you can't find andouille, try tasso, chorizo, or linguiça (I used the latter); if using chorizo or linguiça, consider doubling the amount of cayenne to attain the appropriate level of spiciness.