This recipe was adapted from My New Orleans by John Besh/Andrews McMeel Publishing.
 
Yield: 14 Servings
Prep: 30 min Total: 60 min
 
3 pounds andouille sausage, diced (or a mixture of andouille and spanish chorizo)
2 pounds fresh pork sausage, removed from casings
1/2 cup lard or vegetable oil
2 pounds bacon, diced
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut roughly into 1 inch cubes
6 large onions, diced
4 bell peppers, diced (Use a mix of red and green)
10 stalks celery, diced (celery leaves reserved)
12 clove garlic, minced
9 cups converted Louisiana white rice
2 teaspoons dried thyme or 4 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 dried bay leaves
3 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon celery salt
6 cups canned crushed tomatoes
6 cups Basic Chicken Stock (recipe, page 13 in My New Orleans)
5 pounds Louisiana white shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 bunches green onions, chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
 
First, you’ll need to heat a very large pot (3–5 gallons) over high heat until it is hot, then reduce the heat to moderate. This will allow the heat to be uniform all over, preventing those little hot spots that are likely to burn.
 
Render the bacon with the sausages and the lard in the hot pot, stirring slowly with a long wooden spoon or a spade. While the pork is rendering, go ahead and season the chicken thighs liberally with salt and black pepper. Add the chicken to the pot, stirring, and cook until the chicken becomes golden brown, about 5 minutes.
 
After the chicken has browned, add the onions to the pot and allow them to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Add the bell peppers, celery, and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes. Continue stirring from time to time so that everything in the pot cooks evenly.
 
Next add the rice, thyme, bay leaves, smoked paprika, cayenne, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, and the celery salt to the pot and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes.
 
Increase the heat to high and add the tomatoes and Chicken Stock to the pot. Bring the stock to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
 
While the rice is cooking in the covered pot, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and save them, along with the green onions, to be added at the last minute.
 
After the rice has simmered for 15 minutes, go ahead and remove the lid from the pot and fold in the shrimp, green onions and reserved celery leaves. Turn off the heat and let everything continue to cook in the hot covered pot for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff the jambalaya, and serve!