Rick Stein’s Chicken, Chorizo and Prawn Jambalaya
Packed with chunks of chicken, juicy prawns and spicy chorizo, this fragrant rice dish is ideal for easy midweek meals.
Introduction
The origins of jambalaya were probably a paella-type dish from Southwest France and Catalan Spain, but with what was available locally in Louisiana rather than olive oil and saffron. The combination of green peppers, celery and onions is known as the ‘holy trinity’ and is the flavour that most typifies Creole cookery. I use chorizo and paprika in but you could use a smoked Polish sausage instead.
Ingredients
| 4 tbsp | sunflower oil |
| 100g | chorizo, diced |
| 2 tsp | pimentón, diced |
| 8 | garlic cloves, chopped |
| 1 | onion, chopped |
| 2 | green peppers, deseeded and chopped |
| 4 | celery sticks, sliced |
| ½ tsp | dried oregano |
| 2 | skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces |
| 12 | raw peeled prawns |
| 450g | long-grain rice |
| 750ml | chicken stock |
| 3 | spring onions, trimmed, thinly sliced |
| salt and black pepper | |
| To serve: | |
|---|---|
| tabasco sauce | |
| lemon wedges |
Method
Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan, add the chorizo and fry until lightly browned. Add the pimentón, garlic, onion, peppers, celery, chillies and oregano, then cook over a medium heat until softened.
Add the chicken and fry for 2 minutes, then add the prawns and rice and stir for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper, then bring to the boil. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer gently for about 8 minutes. Add the prawns, cover again and simmer for about another 4 minutes, until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid.
Stir in the spring onions and serve with Tabasco sauce and lemon wedges.
