Josh's Creole Jambalaya

Okay first I want to tell  you that I promise this recipe is damn good.  Some of the best Jambalaya I've ever eaten.  And I'm picky, real picky.  I like the red, mushy, creole jambalaya.  That's my favorite.  My mom always made a brown jambalaya that was good, but never what I loved....like at Acme.  And unfortunately I'm about 2 hours away from the nearest Acme, so the only thing to do is perfect your skills at making your own jambalaya.  This recipe is better than Acme.  I promise.   I have to confess I'm not one to try and perfect recipes, but my husband is.  The first time he made it, he loosely followed a recipe out of Chapelle High School's cookbook, but this one is all his own.


Today I convinced him to get his recipe down on paper for me, and internets here it is, just for you.   A little bit about Josh, he is not a native New Orleanian.  He's originally from Memphis, land of the barbeque.  He had only been living in New Orleans about 6 months when I met him and he knew he wasn't going to call it home.  I promised to love him forever and move away with him, if he learned to boil crawfish, cook gumbo and make creole jambalaya.  I'd say I turned him into a New Orlean's boy.  And if he promised to move me home one day.  So here my friends is what's for dinner at our house....well dinner at the pool.  It makes a lot, so we invited our jambalaya loving friends to have some too.  So make sure you plan on feeding several or freezing it for another night.


Josh's Creole Jambalaya


2 packs of thin Conechah  smoked sausage
1 Rotisserie chicken from the grocery deboned and in small pieces. (White meat only)
2 cans of french onion soup (10.5 oz each)
4 cans of beef broth (10.5 oz each)
2 cans of tomato sauce (15 oz)
4 cups Mahatma rice
2 sticks margarine (or butter)
1 sm container of freshly chopped creole seasoning (typically found in produce section)
Tony Cachere's seasoning

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sauteing the chopped creole seasoning with a little butter (Not the 2 sticks used above) while you cut the smoked sausage.  Add a little Tony Cachere's, salt, and pepper if you like.  It may take a little while if your 3 year old wants to help cut with his dinner knife.  Then put the sausage in the seasoning to brown.  While stirring occasionally, take the meat off the rotisserie chicken.  My wife only likes the white meat so I just use that but you can do both white and dark meat.  Then when the seasoning is soft and sausage is browned, start adding the chicken, 1 can of tomato sauce, 2 cans of beef broth, Tony chachere's seasoning, 2 cans french onion soup, and uncooked rice.  Put pats of butter on top and place in the oven for 90 minutes.  Remove it see how it taste, then add the remainder of beef broth & tomato sauce and stir.  Put it back in the oven cook for an additional 20-25 minutes.

**If you use Uncle Ben's rice, your jambalaya will be finished after 90 minutes without adding the remainder of the beef broth and tomato sauce.  If you use Uncle Ben's rice it won't be a mushy jambalaya, it will be looser rice.  My wife, she likes mushy jambalaya.

From the peanut gallery...

DELICIOUS!  Everyone ate, some had seconds, and everyone took some home.