Virginia Willis' Seafood and Chiken Jambalaya

Jambalaya is traditionally cooked on the stove-top, but in this oven version from Atlanta-based chef and cookbook author Virginia Willis, the rice is perfect every time.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 4 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs (about 1 ½ pounds)
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped

½ red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

• 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
• 1 ½ cups raw long-grain rice
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 cups homemade chicken stock, reduced-fat/low-sodium chicken broth, or water
• 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
• 1-pound large (2 1/25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
2. Heat the oil in a Lodge 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
3. 34
4. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and add to the hot oil. Cook until
5. browned on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes total. Remove to a plate.
6. Pour off any rendered fat in the skillet, and discard. Add the andouille, and cook, stirring
7. occasionally, until the meat starts to brown and render fat, about 3 minutes. Add the Cajun
8. seasoning, and stir to combine. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper; cook, stirring
9. occasionally, until the vegetables start to color, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook until
10. fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the rice, and stir to coat. Stir in the tomato sauce and stock,
11. and bring to a boil. Return the seared chicken thighs to the skillet, and nestle them, without
12. crowding, into the rice. Tuck the bay leaf into the rice. Transfer to the oven, and bake,

uncovered, for 30 minutes.

1. Add the shrimp, and stir to combine. Continue to bake, uncovered, until the rice is tender,
2. the shrimp are opaque, and the juices of the chicken run clear when pierced with the tip of a
3. knife, signifying the chicken is done, about 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from the oven to

a wire rack to cool slightly.

1. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf before serving.
2. Spoon the jambalaya into warm serving bowls. Serve immediately.

A cooking secret from Virginia

1. Don’t cover the jambalaya while it’s cooking in the oven. Keeping the pan uncovered allows
2. the excess liquid from the broth and tomatoes to evaporate and the rice to cook evenly.

Notes

From the Lodge Cast Iron cookbook I picked up during my visit to the Lodge Museum of Cast Iron in South Pittsburg, Tennessee (June 2026). Contributed by Virginia Willis. Recommended cookware: 12 Inch Cast Iron.