Chicken, Shrimp and Andouille Chicken Sausage Jambalaya
With some remaining Abita Louisiana Spiced Ale left over from New Beer Friday I wanted to steer dinner towards something spicy that it would pair well with and I’ve been thinking of Jambalaya for a while now.
This Jambalaya is extremely simple. You just put everything in the pot and let it do its thing. And since I don’t eat red meat, the Andouille Chicken Sausage is a perfect substitute if you can find it. I have tried this in the past with uncooked chicken added at the beginning but I didn’t like the result because you had to cook it longer which dried everything out. Cooked chicken added at the end with the shrimp seems to work better and its still plenty of time for the flavors to meld.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups of water
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium cloves of garlic minced
1/2 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1 Andouille Chicken Sausage sliced on the bias
1 cooked, chicken breast sliced into short strips.
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 large bay leaf
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined.
Add oil, water, stock, sausage, parsley, bay leaf, cayenne pepper and rice into a large non-stick saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is cooked and absorbs most of the liquid. Stir in shrimp and chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. Take off heat and let stand with the cover still on for another 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Season to taste with a little more cayenne pepper and some salt or a little bit of hot sauce (I’m a fan of Frank’s Red Hot).
It’s that easy folks. This is a very low maintenance recipe so it’s perfect if you’re entertaining. Next time I may try my hand at some seafood gumbo but this worked rather well with the beer, so I’d consider it a successful pairing.
Have a favorite Jambalaya or Cajun recipe? Leave a message in the comments section!
And remember… the food abides…
New Beer Friday! – Abita’s Louisiana Spiced Ale
I randomly came across Abita’s Louisiana Spiced Ale at the store the other day and thought it would make a great New Beer Friday brew. Admittedly, I have little experience with vegetable/herbed beers but even from my vantage-point, this one is obviously unique. To be completely honest, this ale is not going to be for everybody but for those with an adventurous palate, there’s little to be disappointed by.
Abita’s Louisiana Spiced Ale pours a golden yellow with quite a bit of haze to it. There was a full inch of bubbly head that dissipated quickly with some spotty lacing on the glass. It gives off a slight aroma of citrus before yielding to a host of Cajun spices.
The first pull is honestly a little confusing. For about half a second, it almost tastes like a saison or a farmhouse ale but that note immediately retreats and you encounter the spices. It’s loaded with paprika, bay leaves and heavy dose of cayenne pepper. Those flavors mellow out on the back end and that’s when you can taste the vegetables, most notably, celery and a little bit of tomato. That note of cayenne continues through and sticks around afterwards.
As with most Abita brews in the past, I enjoyed this one. It’s definitely an interesting mix of flavors that are not commonly used and this would pair well with Cajun food. So much so that I’m planning on making a batch of jambalaya tomorrow night just to have something to serve this beer with.
Easily worth picking up just to try it, though again, it’s not for everyone. If you’re planning a crayfish or crab boil or you intend on cooking up some gumbo or other Cajun fare this is the perfect complement.
Tried Abita’s Louisana Spiced Ale? Leave a message in the comments!
And remember… the food abides…
Tampa Food Dude 