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An easy Jambalaya recipe is pure comfort food filled to the brim with flavor. The aromatic combination of Cajun/Creole cooking: onion, celery, and bell peppers, sautéed in andouille drippings with garlic, herbs, and Cajun spices.
Adding chicken and shrimp to this pot of tomato rice makes this one amazing meal in the comfort of your own homes!
What Is Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a Louisiana rice dish where the rice cooks right in the same pot as the meat, seafood, vegetables, broth and seasonings. Instead of serving everything over plain rice at the end, the rice absorbs all of those flavours as it cooks.
Most versions start with onion, bell peppers and celery, then build from there with chicken, pork, smoked sausage, shrimp, crawfish or a combination of a few.
It’s hearty, generously seasoned and meant to be a full meal on its own. Some versions are made with tomatoes and some aren’t, which brings us to the two styles you’ll hear about most.
Cajun vs Creole
There are two main styles: Creole and Cajun.
Creole cooks make a ‘red jambalaya’ with tomatoes, while Cajun versions generally leave them out. The cooking method can differ too, particularly in how the meat is browned and how the colour develops.
This is the tomato-based Creole version, but while testing it, I combined a little of both. Sautéing the sausage first releases its drippings into the pot before the onion, peppers and celery go in.
I found doing it in this way created the best flavor!
Ingredients
- Andouille Sausage: Browning it first gives the sausage some colour while leaving smoky drippings behind for everything that follows. If you can’t find andouille, kielbasa or another smoked sausage works well. Chorizo can also be used, although the flavour will be a little different.
- Onion, bell peppers, and celery: This is the Cajun and Creole ‘holy trinity’. They cook directly in the sausage and chicken drippings, picking up all of those browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Crushed tomatoes: These give the rice its red colour and bring a little acidity to balance the richer sausage and chicken.
- White rice: Both short grain and long grain work here. Brown rice can also be used, but it needs more liquid and a longer cooking time.
Note: Please see Recipe Card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How To Make It
Start by seasoning your chicken and sausage with half of the Cajun seasoning. Heat a little oil in a large pot or Dutch oven and add the sausage first. Let those rounds sit against the pan long enough to brown before stirring them around too much.
Once the sausage has some good colour, take it out and set it aside. Keep everything left behind in the pot. Those drippings and browned bits are exactly what we want for the next few steps.
Add the remaining oil and your chicken to the same pot. Cook until the outside is lightly golden, then remove it and place it with the sausage. The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through just yet because it will finish cooking later.
Build Your Base
Now add the onion, red and green bell peppers and celery straight into the same pot. Give everything a good stir while the vegetables soften, scraping up anything that has stuck to the bottom along the way.
Once the onion is soft and transparent, add the garlic and let it cook for about 30 seconds before stirring in your tomatoes, herbs, Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.
Add the okra, chicken and sausage back in and let everything cook together for a few minutes. At this point, you’ve already built most of the flavour that the rice is going to soak up.
Add The Rice
Stir in your rice and chicken broth and bring everything to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Give it a stir every now and then so the rice doesn’t catch on the bottom, but try not to keep lifting the lid every few minutes. It needs that trapped heat to cook properly.
Finish With The Shrimp
The shrimp always goes in last. Once your rice is cooked, place the shrimp over the top and gently stir them through.
Cover again and let them cook just until they turn pink and are cooked through. This only takes a few minutes, so keep an eye on them. Overcooked shrimp can go from tender to rubbery very quickly.
Taste everything before serving and add a little more Cajun seasoning, cayenne or hot sauce if you want extra heat. Finish with sliced green onions and parsley, then serve while it’s hot.
A Few Things That Make A Difference
Let the sausage brown. If you keep stirring it from the second it hits the pot, you won’t get those caramelised edges or as much flavour left behind for the vegetables.
The same goes for the chicken. We’re not trying to cook it completely at this stage. Just give it some colour and let it finish later in the tomato mixture.
Once the rice and broth go in, keep the heat at a gentle simmer. Too much heat can cook away the liquid before the rice has had enough time to soften.
And always save the shrimp for the end. They cook quickly and only need a few minutes. Adding them too early is one of the easiest ways to make them tough.
One more thing: Cajun seasoning can vary a lot from brand to brand. Some blends are already quite salty and spicy, so taste before adding more at the end.
What To Serve With It
Honestly, you don’t need much.
There’s already chicken, sausage, shrimp, vegetables and rice in the pot, so it makes a full meal on its own.
Cornbread is always good alongside it, especially for picking up anything left in the bowl. Fresh baguette works too, or a simple salad if you want something lighter on the side.
FAQ’s
There isn’t one secret ingredient. Browning the sausage and chicken first, then cooking the vegetables in those drippings, gives the rice and broth far more flavour than putting everything into the pot at once.
Rushing the browning, cooking the rice over too much heat and adding the shrimp too early are the big ones. Also watch how much extra salt you add if your Cajun seasoning already contains plenty.
Not necessarily. You can adjust the Cajun seasoning, cayenne or red pepper flakes and hot sauce to suit your taste. Start with less if you’re unsure, then add more at the end.
Yes, but it needs more liquid and takes longer to cook than white rice. You’ll need to adjust the broth and cooking time, and wait until the rice is nearly done before adding the shrimp.
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Jambalaya Recipe (Creole)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil divided
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning adjust to suit your tastes/heat preference
- 10 ounces andouille sausage sliced into rounds
- 1 pound skinless chicken breasts or thighs, boneless, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 onion diced
- 1 small green bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 small red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 14 ounces crushed tomatoes canned
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne powder
- 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup okra thinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon file powder
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice short grain or long grain
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound raw shrimp tails on or off, peeled and deveined
- 1/2 teaspoon green onions sliced to garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley chopped to garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the sausage and chicken pieces with half of the Cajun seasoning.
- Brown sausage in the hot oil; remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Add remaining oil to the pot and sauté chicken until lightly browned. Remove with slotted spoon; set aside.
- Sauté the onion, bell pepper and celery until onion is soft and transparent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds).
- Stir in the tomatoes; season with salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes (or Cayenne powder), hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining Cajun seasoning. Stir in the okra slices (or file powder), chicken and sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- Add in the rice and chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low-medium. Cover and let simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked, while stirring occasionally.
- Place the shrimp on top of the Jambalaya mixture, stir through gently and cover with lid. Allow to simmer while stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through and pink
- Season with a little extra salt and pepper if needed and remove from heat. Adjust heat with extra hot sauce, Cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning. Serve immediately with sliced green onions and parsley.
Notes
Storage/Reheating/Make Ahead
You can easily get the prep out of the way ahead of time. Chop your vegetables, slice the sausage, cut the chicken, and measure out your seasonings. Keep everything covered in separate containers in the fridge until you are ready to cook. If you make the dish ahead of time, cool it down quickly and transfer it to airtight containers. Because jambalaya contains chicken, rice, and seafood, prompt refrigeration is key for food safety.- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We skipped the okra. The rice took well over 40 minutes to cook but otherwise the recipe was wonderful. I highly recommend.
I’ve had so many different jambalayas and have Louisiana family and friends so I like to think I know a good jambalaya. This one is GOOD! It’s a really good base recipe to start with if you’re not familiar with the dish. Any jambalaya is pretty forgiving with ingredients. Don’t be afraid to substitute different kinds of tomatoes or the amount of the other vegetables. I didn’t have a green pepper so I just threw in a couple of big red & yellow peppers. I only had sausages–I used nearly 2 lbs total–andouille & smoked sausage. I only had Tony Chachere’s so that’s what I threw in. It’s definitely not as hot as Slap Yo Mama, but the dish had good heat. I tried not to veer too far from the recipe measurements so I’d know a good starting point. I don’t think I’d change anything except adjusting the heat for folks that like more or less. I usually only put okra & file in a gumbo, and I didn’t have either of those so I didn’t miss them–it’s definitely thick enough without any type of thickening. I would just skip it & not add cornflour or any other thickening. And, as it sits, it will certainly not be soupy. Oh…I did throw in a can of red beans because I had them, and we love beans & rice… didn’t do much to change the flavor, just added a little bulk, fiber & BEANS! Sort of like a marriage of jambalaya & red beans & rice. Next time I’ll skip the beans & add the okra…I do love okra, and I’ll definitely be making it again! My family & I thank you for the great recipe!!
This recipe is incredible. My wife and I ate multiple bowls of this and loved every minute of it. The greatest thing is my wife normally doesn’t care for spicy food but she loved this.
Thought this was great. I am allergic to shellfish so left out the shrimp at the end at it was still very filling and tasty but I might through in some kidney beans next time for some extra protein and color. I couldn’t find the Slap Your Mama Cajun seasoning so used McCormick and Schmick’s version and I don’t feel like it was too spicy, but my husband and I like heat (my kids added some sour cream to temper the spice) I used basmati rice b/c that’s what I had on hand but I think next time I’ll try a short grain, or a different long grain–this particular brand was very thin and it didn’t have much ‘tooth’ to it. I didn’t have okra or file powder, subbed in some cornstarch but I’m not sure it was necessary.
My first time making Jumbalaya and my first time cooking shrimp (I know, I know). It was so easy to follow and absolutely delicious. I used about 1/4 of the seasoning to start, to appease my children’s more tender pallets, then we added our own hot sauce. I will totally be making this again!
I’m originally from MS and moved to Portland and wanted to try making some creole food that’s hard to find here and this is the best recipe. I’ve made it several times and it feeds several people. Best recipe out there and easy to make
My family enjoyed this recipe! 5 stars!
Hi-never cooked Jambalaya before (Not exactly on every menu in Ireland but really looking forward to cooking it over the holidays. I’ve never heard of okra or file powder-so is cornflour ok to thicken it a bit?
Cheers
Hi Ronan, yes you can use cornflour.
Hi Romsn. File is ground powder from sassfrass tree.
Used to thicken and flavor. Okra is a vegetable pod with seeds inside. commonly used it the southern US. It is native of Africa..you can slice across and fry it. it’s delicious.
Easy on the salt since there’s a lot of ingredients with a lot of salt already. I would probably pass on the salt itself and add less of cajun seasoning. Once at the end you can always adjust to your taste of liking.
file powder is made from dried Sassafras leaves. Very common in the U.S.. I would suggest if you don’t like really hot back off some of the Slap yo Mama. and or cayenne. I made it exactly like the recipe, and I like spicy and it was pretty warm. My sausage was homemade and was hot also. Which may have contributed to the heat.
Excited to make this, just wondering, does putting the Okra in that early overcook it? I’ve seen other recipes where it’s only added in the last 10 minutes or so cos it can go slimey. Is that the case? I’ve never cooked with Okra before!
Okra is a vegetable… dont know what file powder is either but this doesnt need thickening… i just left it out because okra is not in season
file powder is from the leaves of the sassafras tree. A species of this tree was found throughout Eastern N. America, but was almost driven to extinction by overharvesting by European settlers. Sassafras albidum is now listed as a species of least concern by IUCN.
It was commonly used medicinally by First Nations people and was incorporated in Creole cuisine and used extensively to make root beer in the 19th C.
File powder is actually okra just in a powder form
File powder is a Cajun seasoning used for many creole dishes.
Okra is best cooked to death.
Filé powder, also known as gumbo filé, is an herbal powder made from the dried and ground leaves of the sassafras tree. It is usually in the spice aisle if they have it.
Oh, this is delicious! Made the recipe as written, using frozen okra. My husband and I love spicy and our girls don’t, so I went easy with the Creole seasoning and omitted red pepper flakes and hot sauce when cooking. Hubby and I added hot sauce at the table. Really great recipe, and definitely company-worthy!
Oh hun okra has the same gelatinous quality no mater when you add it 😉 The advantage of adding it early is that it acts as a thickener. So the end result is, instead of being brothy/liquid, the jambalaya with some body, more like a stew.
Putting the okra in earlier actually makes it less slimy
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was a hit!