A Taste of the South -- Chicken Jambalaya

My Granddaddy was born and raised in South Carolina, and though he passed away three years before I was born, in many ways, his Southern upbringing lived on in the foods we ate and played a significant role in the development of my culinary palate. Ham and grits with red-eye gray was a regular staple on my Grandma's Sunday dinner table, and you better believe it was considered a mortal sin to ever dress those grits with anything even closely resembling sugar. Leftover grits were put away in a tall glass and then found their way to the morning's stove sliced thin and fried in butter accompanied by eggs, ham, and toast. Cornbread was, and still is, considered a sacred vessel of bacony  goodness (again, light on the sugar), and we never shied away from greens (collard, mustard, turnip, kale, and the list continues...). I've grown up on foods that many of my "Yankee" friends have never even heard of, like hominy and Hoppin' John. Or tonight's fare: Chicken Jambalaya.

If you've ever watched Emeril or visited any creole restaurant, you've no doubt heard of Jambalaya. Its basic components are meat, vegetables, tomatoes, and rice, but, of course, the personality of the dish comes out in the details. I typically make my Jambalaya with chicken or shrimp but have seen recipes that include more exotic treats like crawdads, oysters, even alligator. Peppers, onions, garlic, and sometimes celery are the standard fare, but I grew up eating my Dad's recipe which included a full pound of hot peppers, the kind of spice that lingers on your lips hours after you've finished your dessert.  My husband shares his affinity for spicy food, but now that I'm the one doing the cooking, I crank back the heat quite a bit. Seasoning this dish can be as easy as adding salt and freshly cracked black pepper, which allows the natural flavors of the dish's headliners to blossom and flourish. But tonight I also tried using some of Emeril's Essence and was quite pleased with the added kick (or BAM!) it offered. In fact, I'm so impressed with Emeril's recipe that I'll probably keep a mixture of it on hand. It's easy enough to make and neutral enough to use in many different applications from battered fish and fried chicken to gumbo and possibly greens.

Alright, enough blabbing. Here's my recipe.

Mild-Mannered Chicken Jambalaya:

Ingredients:

6 bone-in chicken thighs
1 green pepper, seeds and membranes removed, diced
3 cubanelle peppers, seeds and membranes removed, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup rice
1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth
Salt & freshly cracked black pepper & Emeril's Essence to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Pat chicken thighs dry and season each side with Emeril's Essence, salt and pepper. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat.

2. Once oil is fragrant and ripples appear on the surface, place thighs skin-side up and allow to brown (about 4 minutes). Flip thighs and allow second side to brown. Remove chicken and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

3. Add vegetables to the skillet and saute until onions are transparent (about 5-8) minutes.

4. Add tomatoes, rice, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and seasoning and stir thoroughly. You will not stir this again before it's done, so be sure it's well mixed. Place thighs, skin-side up, evenly throughout the skillet.

5. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, until rice is tender. Check periodically (but not too frequently because you don't want to let all the steam out) to make sure it hasn't dried up. Add broth as needed.

6. Serve and enjoy!