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What Is Cajun Meal? - Yahoo Recipe Search
Food52Chicken and rice is a soulful combination, with rich traditions all over the world. I love a one-pot meal, and there are lots of good ways to cook chicken and rice together. Me being a Cajun, jambalaya comes to mind. But something that’s always nagged at me when doing a chicken and rice dish is the shame it is to not end up with crispy skin on the chicken. Often you spend time browning the skin and getting it crispy at the outset, only to lose that effect by finishing the chicken either covered with a lid or submerged in liquid (or both) with the rice. So. I’ve been tinkering with a technique that does a pretty good job of solving this problem. The trick is to bake the chicken, on top of the rice, in the oven. That way, both the chicken and rice are cooked through in the same pot, thus still allowing the chicken to flavor the rice, as it also develops and keeps that crispy skin, because the skin is exposed to the hot oven, not covered with a lid or submerged in liquid. You get the added bonus of the roasted flavor and crispy bits on the edge of the rice that only an oven can produce. Important to note: I use chicken thighs in this recipe, because they have a lot more flavor than white meat, and they’re much more forgiving – you have to try pretty hard to overcook chicken thighs, unlike breasts. And with this recipe, you do need some time in the oven for the rice to cook. As always, bone-in will give the dish more flavor, but boneless thighs are good too, if you can find them with skin on. One way to think about cooking is to cross reference flavor profiles with cooking concepts. For example, I mostly developed this “oven-baked chicken and rice” concept with a Cajun flavor profile, which for me entails some type of Cajun seasoning (like Tony Chachere’s), bay leaves, and maybe thyme; a veggie combo of onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; and garnishes of Louisiana-style hot sauce, green onions, and parsley. This recipe, on the other hand, is the same technique, but with a Thai-inspired taste. So the seasoning I use here is soy sauce, fish sauce, Sriracha, peanut butter, coconut milk, and lime zest; the veg is onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, and ginger; and the garnishes are lime juice and cilantro. I’m sure there are other ingredients that would make this recipe more authentically Thai, but frankly, my closest grocery store doesn’t have a great Asian food section, and I’m always in favor of using what’s at hand, so I’m happy to keep this recipe more streamlined. The point is – feel free to cook with whatever flavors you want. I can imagine Mexican, Indian, Italian, French, and Spanish versions of this concept. P.S. Fish sauce is ubiquitous in southeast Asian cuisine – it gives dishes a funky, possibly umami(?) kick. But as Jacques Pepin would say, be parsimonious with it. A little bit goes a long way, and generosity here could leave your meal smelling like a dirty sock. P.P.S. My girlfriend just gave me a really nice 3.5 quart enameled cast iron braising pan, which I used for this dish. It’s twelve inches across, which turned out to be the perfect size - big enough to hold all the ingredients, but shallow enough so that the oven browns the chicken skin. Any heavy, oven-proof 12-inch pan should work fine.YummlyOK, we’re not sure if this is the most PC way of saying it, but eating jambalaya is like having a party — in your mouth. If you don’t know what jambalaya is, let us explain. Jambalaya is a tangy, Cajun-style dish that originated in Louisiana and was influenced by French, Spanish, and West African cuisines. Its meat, seafood, and vegetables and sauce is spooned over rice, which is similar to classic American stew, French gumbo, and Spanish paella. Traditional jambalaya calls for a blend of smoked meats, chicken and shellfish. Our jambalaya recipe has shrimp, Cajun-style smoked sausage, and tasso, or smoked ham. Vegetables commonly used in jambalaya recipes are onion, celery, and bell peppers. You also have the option of adding okra, tomatoes, and carrots. **Did you know? **If your jambalaya has tomatoes, then you’re eating a red Creole jambalaya. A Cajun-style jambalaya, like the recipe below, does not have tomatoes. For this savory jambalaya recipe, we suggest using Aidells Tasso, which is a Cajun-style smoked ham shoulder, and [Aidells Cajun Style Andouille](https://www.aidells.com/products/dinner-sausage/cajun-andouille) links. Andouille sausage links by Aidells are made with real Creole spices, which is perfect for a homemade jambalaya recipe. But Aidells has a full range of sausage flavors to choose from. [Orange and Coriander chicken sausage](https://www.aidells.com/products/dinner-sausage/orange-coriander-blue-moon) is made with Blue Moon Belgian White beer. Why cook with beer? It adds a rich, zesty flavor to stockpot meals like jambalaya.YummlyRed beans and rice is a deeply-satisfying main course and side-dish recipe that has long been a dietary staple across many different cultures and cuisines. It’s a favorite main-course meal in Central and South America, and across the Caribbean, in countries like Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. But the Western Hemisphere doesn’t have ownership over the versatile dish. India’s version of beans and rice is rajma chawal and for the Congolese, it’s known as loso na madesu. In the U.S., red beans and rice have long been popular, especially in southern and southwestern states. It’s something Americans have enjoyed early in the country’s history, too. In the deep south, like Louisiana, eating red beans and rice is practically tradition. Because our red beans and rice recipe is so easy to prepare, it’s the perfect dish to serve to big groups, like a large family get-together, at holiday meals and celebrations. The red beans and rice recipe below derives from traditional Louisiana Creole cuisine and calls for [Aidells Cajun Style Andouille Sausage](https://www.aidells.com/products/dinner-sausage/cajun-andouille), kidney beans, and what food savants label the “holy trinity” of Creole and Cajun cuisine: celery, onions and bell peppers. Aidells Cajun Style Andouille is made with lean, deep-smoked pork and spiced with a blend of Creole flavors. You can also try other Aidells sausage varieties like [Artichoke and Garlic smoked chicken sausage](https://www.aidells.com/products/dinner-sausage/artichoke-garlic), which has subtle Mediterranean accents. [Sun-dried tomato smoked chicken sausage with mozzarella cheese](https://www.aidells.com/products/dinner-sausage/sun-dried-tomato-with-mozzarella-cheese), tastes of sweet basil and garlic.Food.comI came up with this marinade after buying some Mahi-Mahi without any real idea on what I was going to do with it. It's so simple, it makes a great weeknight meal that is still impressive with the addition of some rice and a salad. I use Zatarain's blackened seasoning for mine, but any other blackened or Cajun seasoning will do just fine. Preparation time includes marinating. I haven't tried it yet, but the fish could also be easily grilled.TastyIf you’re looking for an authentic Creole-Cajun meal, a warm bowl of gumbo is the perfect way to taste what the cuisine has to offer. This seafood filé gumbo recipe will be in your family for generations to come. Use the scraps from chopping the onion, bell pepper, okra, and celery for the gumbo to make the seafood stock.Food.comThis is a healthy and tasty alternative to dirty rice. Also a great way to get the kids to try and love eggplant! I usually make this with one pound of ground turkey to reduce the fat and calories. To add even more flavor you can increase the onion and garlic if you like but we find it well seasoned as is. Sometimes we will even add some celery in with the onion mixture. Use what you have and what you like. Any color bell peppers are fine too! Red and yellow peppers add a nice color addition. Likewise, you do not HAVE to peel the eggplant if you want to leave the skin on. Just dice them up small. Another great color addition to a simple meal! Also, you can make this vegetarian if you use vegetable broth and leave out the meat or substitute TVP. Enjoy!
