Chunky Turkey Jambalaya

If you’re not making jambalaya with your leftover turkey, what are you waiting for? This recipe is chunky, spicy, and packed full of good stuff – all of which, if I plan it right, I have on hand and ready to go.

I always cook too much turkey and even though I do this so I can send lots of leftovers home with my family, I oftentimes still have more leftover than I planned. Throughout the years, I’ve used my leftover turkey in a plethora of dishes, but my standout favorites are (to date) turkey enchiladas, turkey salad, and turkey jambalaya.

I prefer using dark meat in this recipe, as dark meat is less likely to dry out through the reheating process but if you prefer white meat, feel free to use it!

Turkey Jambalaya Recipe

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small white onion, diced, about 1 cup
• 2 large celery ribs, diced, about 1 cup
• 2 bell peppers, red and green, diced, about 1 1/2 cups
• 1 jalapeno (or to taste) chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1-28oz can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, optional (if using canned, rinse them well in a colander and drain)
• 2 cups shredded cooked turkey
• 12 oz. Polska kielbasa
• 12 oz. large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Serving suggestions:

• Sliced scallions
• Hot sauce
• Diced jalapeno

Directions

• In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat
• Add garlic, onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeno
• Cook for 7-8 minutes, until veggies start to soften
• Add tomatoes and juice, crushing the tomatoes with your hand as you add them
• Add stock
• Add spices and herbs
• Bring to a boil
• Stir in rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Stir in beans, turkey, and kielbasa
• Cover and heat through, about 5 minutes
• Stir in shrimp
• Cover and cook until shrimp is cooked through, about 5 minutes
• Serve with scallions, hot sauce, and/or diced jalapenos

You can customize the heat in this any way you’d like. If you want more heat or a different heat, add more jalapenos or the hot pepper of your choice. If you don’t have any hot peppers on hand, add a bit more cayenne and sprinkle in some hot sauce while it’s cooking. Of course, if you prefer no heat at all, omit the jalapeno and the cayenne altogether.

I’m a hot sauce girl myself and if you’ve never made your own, check out my homemade hot sauce recipe.  That’s a bottle of it pictured in my photos here…yes, I really make it and we love it!

You can also customize the proteins here to suit your tastes. Andouille sausage is the classic sausage in jambalaya but not easy to come by in my neck of the woods. If you don’t like or don’t have shrimp, don’t add it. If you’d prefer to make a vegetarian jambalaya, omit them all.

I love adding black beans to mine for the color and also the health benefits but again, adding them is totally optional to suit your tastes. Red kidney beans are also a great bean to use in this.

If you prefer brown rice over white rice you’ll have to adjust for a longer cooking time and, most likely, more liquid to compensate for the extra time.

Of course, you don’t have to wait until you have leftover turkey to make this! Leftover chicken works great, too. 🙂 Okay, you don’t have to wait until you have leftovers of either but this is a delicious and easy way to use them up if you have them.

What to make with leftover turkey? Now you’ve got one more recipe in your arsenal.

Enjoy!