big part of the recipe is prep and chop up the veg. this is how i do it.
for the trinity:
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 sweet onion
- three large ribs of celery
meat/shrimp
- 4 large chicken thighs
- 5 smoked sausages
- 1 lbs of large shrimp (i used 13-15 size)
you’ll also need
- garlic
- cajun seasoning (like tony chachere’s/slap ya mama/paul prudhomme/emeril)
- rice. i used long grain this time.
- scallions for garnish
method
for the trinity, trim the celery, onion & pepper. reserve trimmings for stock. dice into small pieces and set aside.
skin the thighs, then debone. reserve the bones for stock. cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. season with S&P along with cajun seasoning. be care some of the cajun seasoning has a lot of salt. i was able to find a no-salt added paul prudhomme’s which is just mostly red cayenne,black pepper and some other herbs. set aside.
peel the shrimp and reserve the shells. put into a container and put in the fridge until ready.
slice the smoked sausage into coins.
if making the stock, take the reserved vegetable trimmings, chicken bones & shrimp shells into a pot and add enough water to cover. bring to a boil then simmer. you can do this while sauteing the trinity & meat/shrimp.
in a large pan or dutch oven over medium heat, brown the sliced sausage until some of the grease is given up. take the sausage and put into a clean container. if not enough grease in the pan, add some vegetable oil. sautee the chicken until a good color is on–no need to completely cook the chicken. take chicken out and quickly cook the shrimp until just turning pink. take the shrimp out.
add more oil if necessary to sautee the trinity. sautee until the onions turn translucent. smash a few garlic cloves, chop and then add. garlic will burn so be careful. now add the stock and two cups of rice and bring to a boil. general rule of thumb is 1 cup of rice = 2 cups of liquid. you may need more. add the chicken & sausage back in to incorporate. keep stirring for about 10 minutes on a gentle boil. add more stock if necessary. after 10 minutes reduce heat to the lowest. give a final stir and cover slightly. cook for 10 minutes and fluff up. cook for another 10 minutes. fluff again and add shrimp. cook for 10 more minutes. turn off heat and add sliced scallions.