French🍚 Starches

Paella Meets Jambalaya - The Ultimate Fusion Rice Dish

Name: Paella Meets Jambalaya - The Ultimate Fusion Rice Dish
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 6 Chicken (legs and thighs); to taste Salt and pepper; ~3 tbsp Garlic olive oil; 1 Onion; 2 cups Rice; 2 tbsp Chopped garlic; 3 Celery; ½ Green bell pepper; ¾ Red bell pepper; ~8 oz Smoked andouille sausage; 4 oz Baked ham; 1 tbsp Fresh tarragon; 1 tbsp Fresh thyme; ~1 tsp Saffron; ~2 Bay leaf; ~¼ tsp Cayenne pepper; ~¾ cups White wine; 3½ cups Chicken stock; 1 lb Mussels; ½ Shallots; 1 tbsp Chopped garlic (for mussels); ~1 lb Black tiger shrimp; ~1 lb Sea scallops; 1 Chopped tomatoes; ~1 Lemon; ~¼ cups Fresh parsley

⏱ 90 min🍽 Serves 6

Chef Jean-Pierre combines the smoky richness of Cajun jambalaya with the golden saffron soul of Spanish paella in this one-pot showstopper. Chicken thighs are seared for deep color, then simmered with rice, sausage, ham, saffron, and vegetables, and finished with a topping of shrimp, scallops, and mussels. Colorful, rich, and perfect for entertaining.

Adapted from a video by Chef Jean-Pierre

Paella Meets Jambalaya - The Ultimate Fusion Rice Dish! This Dish Deserves a Standing Ovation!

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Chicken (legs and thighs)3 legs and 3 thighs, skin removed6
Salt and pepperto taste
Garlic olive oil~3 tbspest.
Onionlarge, chopped1
Rice2 cups
Chopped garlic2 tbsp
Celeryabout 3 stalks, small diced3
Green bell peppersmall diced½

Steps

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1
Do your mise en place: season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, small-dice the onion, celery, and bell peppers, and chop the garlic and herbs.
2
Heat garlic olive oil in a large pan and sauté the chopped onion until lightly golden brown.
3
Add the seasoned chicken pieces to the pan and sear until deeply browned on both sides for good color and flavor.
4
Push the chicken aside and make a saffron infusion by soaking the saffron threads in a splash of white wine until the color releases.
5
Stir in the chopped garlic, then add the rice and sauté it like a risotto so the grains toast and pick up flavor.
6
Season with salt and pepper (watch the sodium if using store-bought stock), pour in the chicken stock, and add the celery, bell peppers, and a bundled herb sachet of tarragon, thyme, and bay leaf.
7
Add the saffron infusion and the remaining chicken stock (about 3.5 cups), scraping the bottom of the pan clean, then stir in the sausage.
8
Cover the pot and bake in a 350°F oven for about 30–45 minutes until the rice is mostly cooked through.
9
Meanwhile cook the mussels: sauté garlic and shallots, add a splash of white wine to make a flavorful broth, then add the cleaned mussels and steam covered until they open.
10
Pat the scallops dry, season with salt and pepper, and sear just until nicely colored (not fully cooked through). Season and sear the shrimp the same way.
11
Remove the rice pot from the oven, stir in the chopped tomatoes and baked ham, then arrange the seared shrimp and scallops on top.
12
Cover again and return to the oven for another 10–15 minutes to finish cooking and let all the flavors meld.
13
Once out of the oven, arrange the steamed mussels around the dish for decoration and adjust the shrimp placement.
14
Cut a zigzag pattern into a lemon, twist it apart, place it on top for garnish, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, and serve.

Paella Meets Jambalaya - The Ultimate Fusion Rice Dish

Ingredients

Steps

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