Oven-Baked Chicken Jambalaya by Sophie Wright
Find RSPCA Assured Chicken at Your Favourite Supermarket
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6-8 RSPCA Assured labelled chicken thighs
- 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (or equal quantities of cumin, paprika and dried herbs)
- 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into 1cm pieces
- 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 large red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 300g long grain rice
- 500ml hot chicken stock
- 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 100g green beans, cut into 5cm pieces
- 100g fresh peas
- RSPCA Assured labelled chorizo (optional
add this when you fry your onions if you are using it)
To serve
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- Salad
This is super tasty and any left overs make a great packed lunch the next day.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Heat a large casserole dish on a medium heat and add half the olive oil.
- Season the chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon of the Cajun seasoning and lay them into the hot oil.
- Fry for 3–4 minutes per side until the skin starts to turn golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and add the peppers, onion, chilli and garlic (and chorizo if using).
- Cook for 5–7 minutes before adding the remaining Cajun seasoning and the rice.
- Coat the rice well in all the juices at the bottom of the pan, then pour in the hot stock and add the canned tomatoes.
- Stir well and season before placing on a tight-fitting lid and putting the casserole dish into the oven.
- Once your jambalaya has had 20 minutes of cooking time, remove it from the oven and stir well before adding the green beans and peas.
- Stir again before adding the fried chicken to the top of the rice dish. Put the lid on the pan, place it in the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes.
- Check there is enough stock – you can always add a little more if it looks as if it is drying out.
- Check the rice is cooked before serving with a wedge of lemon and a side salad.