Creole Jambalaya with chicken, chorizo and prawns

Jambalaya is a hearty dish of rice, chicken, spicy sausage (chorizo) and prawns, flavoured with tomatoes, garlic and plenty of spices. My easy homemade version of jambalaya with chicken, chorizo and prawns is so simple to make and it only takes 45 minutes.

📝 Ingredients

• 8 ounce / 225 grams boneless chicken thighs
• 6 ounce / 180 grams frozen shelled prawns
• 4 ounce / 100 grams andouille or chorizo sausage
• 1 large onion
• 1 red bell pepper / capsicum
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 cloves garlic (or 1 teaspoon crushed garlic from a jar)
• 1 - 2 small chilli peppers (optional (or 1 teaspoon chilli paste))
• 14 ounce / 410 gram can chopped tomatoes
• 1 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste / tomato puree
• 2 chicken stock cubes
• 1 cup / 200 grams uncooked long grain rice
• 2 teaspoons cajun spice
• 2 teaspoons smoked dried paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Preparation ---
2. 2Remove the skin and visible fat from the chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Cut the sausages into thin rings or smallish chunks. Defrost the prawns.
3. 3Peel the onion, wash the celery stalks and wash the bell pepper and remove the seeds and inner membranes. Chop all the vegetables into approximately 1cm dice. If you are using fresh garlic, mince it finely.
4. 4If you have fresh chicken stock you can skip this step, otherwise dissolve the chicken stock cubes in 2 cups of boiling water.
5. 5--- Jambalaya ---
6. 6Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions, garlic, celery, chilli and red peppers over a medium heat until they start to soften.
7. 7Push the vegetables to one side, add the chicken pieces and continue to fry until the chicken turns white.
8. 8Push the chicken to one side and fry the chorizo until it starts to brown and release its fat.
9. 9Stir everything together and add the rice.
10. 10Add the can of chopped tomatoes, the spices and the prepared stock.
11. 11Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is cooked and the liquid has been absorbed. Stir occasionally.
12. 12If the mixture looks a little dry, add another splash of stock, but don’t make it too wet.
13. 13Add the prawns. Cover with a lid and leave on a low heat until the prawns have cooked and turned pink.
14. 14Remove from the heat and serve immediately with a fresh green salad and slices of crispy garlic bread.