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This one-pot jambalaya recipe is easy, delicious, and satisfying, thanks to the addition of chicken, shrimp, and spicy andouille sausage. You’re 30 minutes away from a Mardi Gras dinner that the whole family will love!
If you’re a fan of Cajun flavors, make this rich and hearty chicken and sausage gumbo, too! For a quick and easy meal, try my quick sheet-pan andouille sausage with potatoes and veggies.
Jambalaya is my go-to winter stew. During the winter season, I make this jambalaya recipe about once a month. When the weather’s chilly, there’s nothing better than a hearty comfort food dinner with a little bit of heat to warm you up inside and out!
I first discovered this deliciousness during my college years on a trip to New Orleans. It was Mardi Gras, and the city was alive with music, parades, and incredible food, of course. That’s when I first heard of and tasted jambalaya, and I instantly fell in love with its bold flavors and comforting warmth and textures. It’s also when I first had red beans and rice, amazing beignets, and a lot of bloody Marys. Good times!
My jambalaya is a tribute to that first encounter, and it’s both flavorful and filling. It’s the perfect casserole for feeding a crowd with a side of cornbread casserole. This versatile dish can be adjusted to suit your personal flavor preferences, making it an excellent recipe for those who like to try new things.
What Is Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a popular Creole and Cajun dish with African, Spanish, and French influences. Because it originated in Louisiana, it’s often associated with Mardi Gras, but there’s no reason you can’t eat it year-round. It is often prepared with chicken, shrimp or crawfish, andouille sausage, and rice, although many variations exist.
The meat-and-rice combo is flavored with the Cajun holy trinity of onion, celery, and green pepper, along with herbs, spices, and diced tomatoes. In addition to being the ultimate comfort food, this recipe is also the ultimate one-pot dinner. You’ve got your veggies, your meat, and your starch all in one convenient pot. It’s a perfect weeknight dinner, friends!
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make the best Jambalaya recipe, we’ll use classic Cajun ingredients like sausage, tomatoes, shrimp, and seasonings that are easily found at your local grocery store.
- Yellow onion and celery ribs: The cornerstone of amazing Cajun cuisine is all about sautéing diced onions, bell peppers, and celery together. Their flavors meld beautifully, infusing the sauce with an irresistible taste.
- Bell peppers: Green is the classic choice for a jambalaya recipe, but you can use red, orange, or yellow if you prefer.
- Garlic: Please try to use fresh garlic, but if that’s not available, add 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: I like boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can also use a different cut of chicken, such as chicken thighs.
Sweet paprika: Sweet paprika is ideal, smoked paprika is delicious too, but avoid hot paprika unless you like your jambalaya spicier. - Oregano: I use about a teaspoon of dried oregano, but you can also use dried thyme in jambalaya or a crushed Bay leaf. Both herbs will add a slightly different yet still delicious flavor to the dish.
- Andouille sausage: This smoked sausage is made with pork, onions, peppers, and other seasonings, and it is a staple in Creole cooking. Cut the sausage into 1/4-inch rounds.
- Tomato paste: If you buy a can of tomato paste for this recipe, freeze the leftovers in 1-tablespoon portions. Just pop them into a freezer bag, and you’ll have ready-to-use tomato paste for the next time you need it without having to buy a new can.
- Low-sodium fat free chicken broth: Chicken stock can also be used, but because stock is unseasoned, you’ll need to add more salt to the recipe.
- Diced tomatoes: The tomatoes add a rich, tangy sweetness to jambalaya that complements the other ingredients and spices. Crushed tomatoes are also okay to use.
- Long grain rice: Long grain rice cooks up fluffy and doesn’t clump together.
- Cajun seasoning: Cajun seasoning can bring a lot of heat, so feel free to adjust to your liking.
- Shrimp: Peel and devein the shrimp.
How to Make Jambalaya
This easy Cajun jambalaya recipe is incredibly flavorful and simple to make at home. Just follow my step-by-step guide below, and you’ll have a delicious meal in no time!
- Prepare. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven set over medium heat.
- Cook the trinity. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers to the Dutch oven and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes or until just softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken. Stir in the diced chicken, sweet paprika, and oregano and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is nicely browned on all sides.
- Add the next several ingredients. Add the sausage and tomato paste; stir and cook for 1 minute, then add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, and cajun seasoning. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Cook the Jambalaya for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Finish. Add the shrimp and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until it’s pink and cooked through. Remove from heat, garnish the jambalaya with sliced green onions and dried parsley, then serve.
Recipe Tips
- Can’t find andouille sausage? You can use a different type of smoked sausages like kielbasa or chorizo. If you prefer, you can also use chicken sausages.
- Keep an eye on the rice. After 10 minutes, lift the lid of the Dutch oven and take a peek. If it looks dry, add more chicken broth.
- Don’t overcook it. Jambalaya isn’t a saucy dish, but it isn’t a dry rice dish either, so don’t wait for all of the liquid to absorb. As soon as the rice is tender, you can move onto the next step of the recipe.
- Adjust it to your liking. Cajun food is known for being spicy, but you can always make this jambalaya recipe on the milder side and then let everyone adjust the heat for their own individual servings by adding Tabasco or extra Cajun seasoning.
Serving Suggestions
This Jambalaya recipe is a complete meal with protein, vegetables, and grains all in one pot. Serve it as-is, or top it with extra green onions, parsley, or hot sauce. If you’d like to add a side, serve jambalaya with coleslaw, tomato cucumber salad, and cornbread.
Storage
- Leftover jambalaya can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
- Reheat it in a saucepan over medium-low heat and gently stir until heated through – or just pop it in the microwave! Add water or broth if it’s too thick.
More Cajun-Inspired Recipes
- Slow-Cooker Cajun Jambalaya Recipe
- Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers
- Cajun Shrimp and Guacamole Tortilla Bites
- Mom’s One-Skillet Sausage and Rice
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Jambalaya Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 bell peppers, diced (you can use red, green, yellow, orange, etc.)
- salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 6 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning, or to taste
- 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add onions, celery, and bell peppers, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes or until just tender. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken and add sweet paprika and oregano. Cook for 5 minutes, or until chicken is browned on all sides. Stir in the sliced sausage and tomato paste; cook for 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, and cajun seasoning. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
- Remove from heat and garnish with sliced green onions and parsley.
- Serve.
Equipment
Notes
- Chicken: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but this tastes great with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, too.
- Andouille Sausage: If you can’t find andouille sausage or want to try something different, you can use polish kielbasa or chorizo.
- Rice: Long grain rice is the best choice for jambalaya as it cooks up fluffy and separate, creating a better texture.
- Broth: Use a rich chicken (or seafood) broth to cook your jambalaya. This will add depth and more flavor to the dish.
- Seasonings: Adjust the ingredients and seasonings to suit your tastes.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
No okra no jambalaya
Add some dang okra, then.
So add okra, it ain’t hard.
What size Dutch oven should be used? How many quarts?
Hi!
6.5-qt or bigger.
This recipe was AMAZING!! The flavor was incredible and it came together really nicely. I used 1/2 tsp of cajun seasoning bc of the kids and it was just right. I did try to be healthy by using brown rice which more than doubled the cooking time and used a lot more chicken stock. Next time I will probably half cook the rice. Definitely a must try recipe! Ps – I would love a crock pot version.
I was born and raised in South Louisiana and have been cooking jambalaya for years, trust me when I say if you cook this for an authentic Cajun, you will be laughed at relentlessly. This is NOT jambalaya.
Why are you reading this recipe then, go somewhere else
I don’t care what you call this, I just know how delicious it is! I followed this recipe to the “T” and was very impressed with the flavor and ease of preparation. I sliced up a package of 4 Andouille chicken sausages and used extra long grain rice. Not gonna lie, I always bought Zatarians but not anymore. This recipe is a keeper!
Is it really so hard to be nice?
This was a huge hit with my family!! I don’t eat pork so replaced the andouille with hot turkey sausage –
Thank you for posting this recipe!!
I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Wow so critical of someone who is just sharing her recipe. They have kept it simple and easy. Just because you were born and raised in Louisiana, I find that most people from there cannot cook. what tastes good to you other people my not like it.
I enjoyed this recipe but I also loved Jambalaya when I was in New Orleans. Do you have an authentic recipe to suggest?
Cajun jambalaya is referred to as a brown jambalaya because of its origin in the bayous of Lousiana. The ingredients include smoked andouille sausage that’s browned until the fat is rendered in a pot. It’s then cooked with onion, celery, and green bell pepper in stock with traditional seasoning and rice.
In Creole cuisine cooking, the introduction of tomatoes and shrimp has influences from Spanish, French, Africans locals. Today, Creole jambalaya is more popular than Cajun Jambalaya. You’ll find local restaurants serve “red” Creole Jambalaya with tomatoes more often than Cajun Jambalaya in New Orleans. Most of the locals I know prefer to make jambalaya with the addition of tomatoes.
I made this and the flavor was phenomenal but the rice got mushy. I want to cook the rice on its own first and then add it, but what liquid amounts should I eliminate from the jambalaya?
Hi! I haven’t made it without rice, so I’m not 100% on this, but I think you can eliminate 1 cup of the broth, and if the jambalaya looks too dry, you can always add more liquid. I hope this helps.
How does this freeze? Would like to make ahead of a busy weekend with company.
The best jambalaya I’ve ever made! Everyone loved it!
My husband is a huge fan of jambalaya and he can’t stop talking about this recipe. Thanks!
Looks fantastic and so comforting for a cold winter’s night!!
Absolutely delicious recipe. It makes a big pot of yumminess. It’s spicy and comforting.