Jambalaya is a Creole recipe often made in New Orleans. Jambalaya is a flavorful food that will fill you while giving your taste buds a zing of many flavors. If you want to have a taste of New Orleans in your own home and learn how to make real Creole-style jambalaya, look no further.

Meat

Jambalaya has two different kinds of meat. You will need an entire cooked chicken that is cut up or deboned. An easy way to do this is cook it in a slow cooker on low for about 5 hours. It will fall right off the bone and you can use the tender meat for your jambalaya. You also need 1 ½ to 2 pounds of beef summer sausage.

Other Ingredients

Along with the meat, you will need several other ingredients. These include:

• 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
• 4 cups of chopped onions
• 2 cups of diced green peppers
• 2 cups of diced celery
• 2 cups of tomatoes
• 4 cups of long grain rice
• 5 cups of chicken stock
• ¼ cup of paprika
• 3 teaspoons of Creole seasoning

In a large stockpot: If your chicken isn't cooked yet, brown it in lard or bacon grease. Add your sausage once your chicken is ready. Transfer your meat onto a plate and put your onions, celery, garlic, and green pepper into the drippings. Once everything is tender, return the sausage and the chicken to the pot.

Pour in your chicken stock, Creole seasoning, and heat until boiling. Once it begins to boil, add your paprika and rice. Return to a rapid boil and stir your mixture. Remove your pot from heat and cover immediately. Let the pot sit for about a half hour. After that time, stir your jambalaya thoroughly.

Variations

Some people prefer different techniques for cooking jambalaya. Many claim that letting it cook for hours will enhance the flavor while all of the ingredients cook into each other. If you want to let it simmer all day, then add all of your ingredients except for your rice. Let them all simmer on low for 2-3 hours and stir occasionally. Once you're done simmering, bring to a boil, and add the rice. Cover your pot, remove it from the heat, and let it sit for about 20 minutes.

Not everyone likes to add tomatoes to their jambalaya. If you don't want tomatoes in yours, replace them with about 1 cup of green onions.

Jambalaya is an amazing comfort food. It's very filling so a small pot can feed your whole family. Just add a few different ingredients, cook, and serve.