Chicken, Chorizo & Prawn Jambalaya

Chicken, Chorizo & Prawn Jambalaya

Chicken and rice is always a really satisfying combination - with the addition of a bit of spice, chorizo & prawns it becomes even better!  This has to be one of the best Jambalaya’s I have ever tasted.

Serves 4

Prep time: 20-30 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

110g/4oz chorizo, roughly chopped

150g/4 ½ oz chicken breasts, cut into strips

25g/1oz butter

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 Scotch Bonnet chilli, finely chopped

6 sprigs thyme, leaves only

½ - 1 tsp jerk seasoning

½ tsp allspice berries, crushed

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp paprika

1 red pepper, seeds removed & roughly chopped

175g/6oz easy cook basmati rice

400ml/14 fl oz water

2 bay leaves

½ tsp saffron strands, soaked in 1 tsp warm water

175g/6oz large raw tiger prawns, head and shell removed, deveined

Salt & freshly ground pepper

Method

1.      Heat a large frying pan or wok until hot, add the oil and the chorizo and cook for 30 seconds on each side until golden all over.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2.      Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes until golden all over.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3.      Add the butter then add the onion and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until softened but not browned.

4.      Add the chilli, thyme and the spices and fry for 1-2 minutes or until the spices are fragrant. Now add the red pepper and fry until softened, 1-2 minutes.

5.      Add the rice and stir well so that it is coated in all the spices.  Add the water, bay leaves, saffron and the saffron water.  Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just cooked.

6.      Add the chicken, chorizo and prawns, cook for 4-5 minutes or until the prawns are cooked through.  Season to taste and stir carefully.

7.      Serve on warmed plates, enjoy!

Cooks Tips

v If you can’t find a Scotch Bonnet chilli use a large red chilli.

v You can also use pre-prepared cooked tiger prawns, you will just need to reduce the cooking time once you add them to the rice.