chicken and shrimp jambalaya

Lately the weather has been extremely chilly in Berkeley, which means that it's time for those one-pot comfort food that warms you up. I've been meaning to try this recipe for quite some time, but never got around to doing it because... I was lazy. Yeah, I wish I had a better excuse, but no, I was just lazy.


As with all Cooks Illustrated recipes, they always ask for ingredients that even a well-stocked pantry might not have. In this particular recipe, it's clam juice. In my case, I gave in and bought a bottle of it (Crown Prince brand @ Berkeley Bowl for $1.99), but feel free to substitute it with the same amount of chicken broth - I doubt it would make that big of a difference.

I am also too cheap to have a food processor at home, so I just chopped the vegetables by hand. I also rinsed the rice even though the recipe didn't call for it, but it's my habit whenever I make rice. And because I'm a loner girl who lives by herself, I halved the recipe but kept the original amount of vegetables and dumped in the whole can of tomatoes anyway - I figured that more veggies couldn't hurt, could they? Finally, you don't have to use a Dutch Oven; any tall pot would do.


I'm actually really happy with the way the dish turned out. The flavors were spot on - it was bold but bright. The rice took on a hint of smokiness from the sausages (I used Saag's andouille). The chicken was moist and tender, and the shrimp was perfectly done and not rubbery at all. The tomatoes complemented the rice and meat very well. I'm impressed, once again, by CL's recipes. The rice did come out a bit softer and wetter that what I would have liked though, even though I'm not sure if it's intended to be that way. It's not mushy to the extent that it gives a bad mouthfeel, but still, I prefer it a bit fluffier. To find out why, I went to look at the water to rice ratio in the recipe, and as I had expected, it was 1:1.8, which was a bit high in moisture compared to the usual ratio that I use when I cook rice (1:1.5). So if you are like me and prefer a bit more bite to your rice, I would try cutting the amount of chicken broth from 1.5 cup to 1 cup. (Eek, I'm probably committing a horrible culinary sin by saying this, but you know, I've always believed that there's nothing wrong with modifying recipes to your own tastes as long as you don't claim authenticity.)

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CHICKEN AND SHRIMP JAMBALAYA
(Adapted from Cooks Illustrated)
Serves 4 to 6.

INGREDIENTS
1 medium onion , peeled, ends trimmed, and quartered lengthwise
1 medium rib celery , cut crosswise into quarters
1 medium red bell pepper , stem removed, seeded, and quartered lengthwise
5 medium cloves garlic , peeled
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
8 ounces andouille sausage , halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
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)
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
2 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 (see illustration below). When shrimp are cooked, discard bay leaves; off heat, stir in parsley and shredded chicken, and serve immediately.