Campfire Jambalaya: A Taste of New Orleans

When I was in my 20’s, I visited New Orleans for the first time and fell in love instantly. That first trip my friend and I visited the New Orleans School of Cooking. We learned how to make jambalaya, gumbo, bread pudding and pralines. I highly recommend adding to your next trip to The Big Easy. On a recent camping trip, I decided to try making jambalaya over the campfire. I was happy it turned out great! Jambalaya is a comfort dish. It can feed a group and is perfect for a slightly chilly camping evening. The most common proteins in jambalaya are chicken, sausage, and shrimp but my recipe omits shrimp. Also don’t forget the “holy trinity” of Cajun cooking – onion, celery and bell pepper. I cooked this in my reliable cast iron pan and I paired this dinner with my campfire cornbread.

Ingredients –

• 1/4 c. oil
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (I roasted a chicken for this before the trip. Just shred and add to a Ziploc bag to put in cooler)
• 4 andouille sausages
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
• 1 tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 2 cups of chicken stock or broth (I would bring extra like 32 oz carton)
• 3 large tsp. Joe’s Stuff seasoning (or voodoo seasoning)
• 1/4 c. paprika (smoked or sweet. I used smoked)
• 2-3 chopped green onions (optional)
• 1 14.5 oz canned chopped tomatoes

Directions –

1. Cook sausage in pan with a bit of oil. Once fully cooked, remove and slice. Set aside for now
2. Add oil to cast iron and let it heat up
3. Once hot, add chopped onions, celery and bell pepper to pan
4. Stir the holy trinity until the tenderness you want
5. Add sausage and shredded precooked chicken to pan
6. Pour broth into pan and season with Joe’s Stuff (or Voodoo) and paprika
7. Bring to a boil
8. Add rice and bring to a boil again
9. Cover with foil and move pan to indirect heat
10. Cook until rice is done. This will depend on how hot your fire is but should take about 30-45 minutes
11. Check while cooking periodically and add more broth as needed to cook rice
12. Cook covered for 25 minutes and then remove foil and continue to cook until rice is done, stirring periodically to make sure rice doesn’t stick
13. When done, top with green onions and chopped tomatoes, if desired