As we wave goodbye to summer and welcome in the crisp, cool autumn air, nothing makes a fall day better than digging into some warm comfort food. 

Born in Louisiana, Cajun cooking is known for its heartiness and spice that will be sure to be a crowd pleaser the next time you host a dinner party or just need new idea for dinner. 

Quarter to Five's Cajun Jambalaya is built on Cajun food's holy trinity: onion, celery, and garlic - and makes enough to feed a football team. 

 

Here's the list of ingredients you will need: 

-1 large white onion 

- 3 ribs of celery 

- 1 green pepper 

- 4 cloves of garlic

- 2 cups of long-grain white rice 

- 4 cups of chicken broth

- 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (of breasts if you prefer a leaner cut of meat) 

- 1 pound of smoked, precooked sausage 

- 1 pound of deveined shrimp (optional)

 

Spices 

-1 bay leaf 

-1 TSP of paprika 

-1/2 TSP of cayenne pepper

-1/2 of dried oregano 

-1/4 dried thyme 

-Salt and black pepper to taste

 

Steps

1. Cook proteins 

While preheating a pot, cut the chicken thighs and smoked sausage into bite-sized pieces. 

Once the pot is hot and the oil is shimmering, drop your chicken into the pot and cook till the internal temperature reads 165 degrees. At that point, remove the chicken and add the sausage. 

Cook the sausage till the fat render and leaves behind a "fond" - that's the burnt-on good stuff. 

 

2. Cook vegetables 

After removing the sausage from the pan, toss in your diced onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook this mixture in the left behind fat until the white onion is slightly translucent. 

Pro tip: use a wooden spoon to scrape up and fold the leftover burnt-on chicken and sausage fat into the vegetables to bring the flavour of your jambalaya to a new level. 

 

3. The assembly

After you have cooked the vegetable mixture, add in the chicken, sausage, spice mixture and the rice. 

Let this cook for three to five minutes to allow the spices to penetrate the meat and incorporate into the rice grains. 

At this point, add in the chicken broth and wait until it reaches a boil. 

Once the broth reaches a rolling boil, turn the heat down and cover the pot. 

 

4. Enjoy 

Let your jambalaya cook until the broth has absorbed into the rice and it has doubled in size and is tender. 

Scoop out yourself a ladle of goodness and dig in!