Quite delicious!!! I cooked the rice separately and used 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce, and used large fresh shrimp. Some extra seasonings, garlic powder and a little sugar to cut bitterness of tomatoes (maybe 1/2 tsp). Finally I added in about a cup of frozen okra 5 min before it was done. Served over buttered white rice w/ crusty french bread. My hunny could eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
Bubba, I love you. This recipe was AWESOME! My husband kept nudging me and telling me how good it was. I added more celery, onion, and bell pepper than I should have, but it was all the merrier. I didn't think it was going to be very good....until it all started to marry in the pot. YUUUUMMMMM. I even left out the bacon and shrimp, and it rocked!!!!! I used minute rice, boil in the bag, so I cooked the rice first, but not too much, and then poured it in the brew. That worked out really well. I'm always leary of cookin rice, I can screw that up fast! Uncle Ben's Boil in Bag is awesome.
I liked this version better than the one I had in New Orleans. I had kielbasa on hand and was looking for a way to use it, so I thought that putting it in a jambalaya sounded good. I used Smart Balance to saute the veggies instead of bacon... the bacon sounded too heavy, plus in the south, everything is cooked in butter, right?
I used extra creole seasoning, an extra teaspoon or maybe a little more and served it with Crystal hot sauce. Excellent! My eight year old agrees.
I've never made Jambalaya before, and this recipe was a huge hit with everyone in the family. My mom has had Jambalaya in Louisiana and said mine was the best she's ever had! I did make adjustments. I used 1.5 onions, and 2 bell peppers (one red, one green). I used 14oz of kielbasa because I wanted to use up the whole package. I used 2 chicken breasts instead of 1. I may have put a little more than 2 cups of jasmine rice into the mix, and in addition to the crushed tomatoes, I used a 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes with their juice. I used fresh medium-sized shrimp. I used a 32oz box of beef broth and a 14.5oz can of chicken broth. I used both fresh and dried thyme because I had fresh on hand. I added 3 cloves of chopped fresh garlic in with the onions and peppers during the last minute, and powdered onion and garlic powder to taste. I also added crushed red pepper flakes to taste. All in all, I think it was perfect; my rice cooked up perfectly in about 20 minutes and the consistency was nice and thick. MAKE SURE YOU STIR THOROUGHLY EVERY 5 MINUTES WHILE THE RICE IS COOKING SO IT DOESN'T STICK OR CLUMP IN THE POT!
OK, here's how to solve the rice issue. When the vegetables are almost done, stir in the rice so it gets coated with the bacon grease. Then add all of the other ingredients except shrimp and cooked bacon. This way, the grains stay separated and they soak up all the deliciousness of the tomatoes and stocks. There's no need to cook rice separately - this is jambalaya, not gumbo.
I have been making Bubba's jambalaya recipe for years, from scratch, and it's a request for every get-together. I hate it when commenters TOTALLY chsnge a recipe here, but I've made this more than 20 times now, so I thought I'd share my secret pre-step:
*Make your own stock from the chicken; I throw about 6 drumsticks in water with seasonings (celery leaves, parsley, onion, salt), so there's no need for beef broth or chicken stock--I have enough from scratch.
When the broth is done I de-bone the drums for the chicken in the recipe. Enjoy all, this one is the best!
I made this last night and it was a hit!! Thanks for submitting such a great recipe. The only thing I changed was that I added more Cajun seasoning a little crushed red pepper 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper and andouille sausage instead of smoked. I simmered everything except the shrimp rice and bacon for about 4 hours (so the house smelled really yummy) and added the last ingredients prior to serving. We gobbled it up!! Thanks again!
Excellent recipe! My boyfriend couldn't get enough of it, even ate it for breakfast, lol.. one tip though, i would cook the rice seperate,otherwise it takes forever and sticks to the bottom of pot
This is very very good. I added the ingredients (minus the rice) and let it simmer for a couple of hours. I also added some flour and water to thicken it up a little bit. I seasoned it a bit more with some cayenne and pepper. Will make it again!
I didnt read the comments that others made. I followed the directions and cooked the rice together instead of making it seperately and my Jambalaya came out like mush. The flavor was good but the texture was horrible. I will try this recipe again but I will make the rice seperately.
