A high protein, meal-prep friendly recipe. Loosely inspired by Creole jambalaya, with a simplified ingredients list.

Time: 4/5
The two-step sear and simmer can’t really be rushed.

Effort: 3/5
The second half of the recipe is pretty hands-free.

Culinary Appropriation

Chicken and rice is one of the most common forms of meal preps that I make. Usually, I start two days before by defrosting the chicken in the fridge, then giving it an overnight marinade. Sometimes it’s miso, other times it’s plain yogurt cumin and garlic, maybe honey mustard, at times lemongrass and fish sauce, and a sweet and sticky gochujang glaze every now and then to keep things interesting.

But sometimes, I don’t have that long of a runway to plan my preps, and I turn to recipes where the chicken is cooked for a long time in a flavourful sauce – like simmering chicken wings in “Swiss” sauce, or stewing it in a curry. This way, plenty of flavour still makes it all the way through the meat.

This prep is firmly in the latter camp. It’s (very) loosely inspired by American jambalaya, except I had to adapt it heavily to what I can actually get. So, sorry to any Louisianan’s out there, I have to use Old Bay instead of Creole seasoning. And I omitted the sausage entirely because Andouille just isn’t a thing here, so by this point it’s so far removed from the original inspiration that I don’t feel it’s right to call it actual jambalaya.

But that’s the way it is sometimes. Culinary ideas shift and mutate as they pass between peoples and cultures, then every now and then a new and wonderful thing emerges from the mosh pit.

Which, in this case, it totally did. I always count it as a home-cook win if I’m able to make a passably good dinner at a reasonable cost in terms of time, effort, and money. I’m happy to report that this is a mission in which I have succeeded this time, and (like many stews) the results taste even better the next day.

Posts since the last recipe that was actually served with rice: 0

Dramatis Personae

Served 5.

• 1kg boneless skin on chicken thighs
• 3 bell peppers
• 1 large onion
• 5 tsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp chicken bouillon concentrate
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp Old Bay
• Black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp Tabasco, or to taste
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, or to taste 

Executive summary

1. Sear the chicken on both sides, and reserve. Meanwhile, dice all the vegetables.
2. Sweat the vegetables in the same pan. 
3. Add the rest of the ingredients, together with the chicken, and just enough water to cover.
4. Start rice. Simmer the chicken until rice is done, or until tender.
5. Adjust seasoning, and serve.

Play by Play

Last things first. The chicken will take a good long while to sear, so I’m letting them get a head start.

While the chicken sears, I have plenty of time to work on the vegetables. I don’t know what is it about bell peppers that make me associate it with American food, but it does. Doesn’t hurt that it fits quite well in a stew too.

That beautiful fond from searing the chicken isn’t going anywhere – vegetables go right in, followed by the tomato paste and the seasonings.

Final stage now, chicken goes back in for a hot bath. I like to simmer with the lid off to let the sauce reduce quite a bit, which is why I tend to hold back on the salt until this stage to see how the seasoning level turns out.

That’s all there is to it! The stewing process makes the thighs so tender that I can just cut it with a spoon, so I don’t even bother to cut the chicken up before cooking. And as good as it is now, it will only get better tomorrow as the flavours meld and develop over time. Cheers!

Keep browsing by categories, or by tags: