Homemade Jambalaya is one of my all-time favorite dishes and the ultimate comfort food!
Simple ingredients including chicken thighs, andouille sausage, and shrimp are combined with rice and lots of seasoning for a beautiful dish. While the ingredients seem simple, the flavor of this dish is anything but!
What is Jambalaya?
When I travel I always take cooking classes and go on food tours to learn the culture of the foods from the region. I learned to make Jambalaya in New Orleans and along with gumbo, they’re two of my absolute favorites.
Jambalaya is a dish made with rice, sautéed vegetables, meat, and seafood. It can be cooked for an ordinary supper but is typically a celebratory meal or a dish prepared for large groups of people. As this is a cajun jambalaya it contains no tomatoes.
Jambalya vs. Gumbo
Jambalaya and gumbo are totally different dishes.
Gumbo is a broth-based soup made with a roux and is thickened with okra (or file). It is often served over rice (and sometimes with a scoop of potato salad).
Jambalaya is a rice-based dish jam-packed with flavor from sauteed meats (in this case, chicken & sausage), a beautiful fond (brown bits in the pan) and great seasoning.
What’s in Jambalaya?
SEASONING A great seasoning is really important when making Jambalaya! You can use a premade seasoning or homemade Cajun Seasoning. I’m partial to Andy Roos seasonings because they pack a huge flavor punch without being overly salty. Depending on where you live, you might need to order them but I can assure you it’s worth it!
PROTEIN This recipe has chicken thighs, andouille sausage, and shrimp. The chicken and sausage are browned in oil to great tons of flavor in this dish. The shrimp is added at the very end and cooks from the steam from the rice to become perfectly tender.
VEGGIES Just like in our etouffee recipe, the veggies in this recipe are celery/onion/green pepper (aka the holy trinity).
How to Make Jambalaya
Jambalaya cooks the best right in a large skillet or Dutch oven, so it’s easy to make the whole dish in just one pot.
- Cook chicken & sausage until brown with a deep crust, this adds flavor! Avoid stirring until it’s deeply browned.
- Add onion, celery, & bell pepper and scrape up any brown bits.
- Add garlic, seasonings, rice, & stir. Add broth, bay leaf, cover, & bake. Don’t be shy with the seasonings!
- Add raw shrimp, green onions, & parsley to the hot cooked rice. Cover and rest (per recipe below- the shrimp will cook from the heat of the rice).
- Discard bay leaf & serve warm.
Leftovers
- Keep Jambalaya covered in the refrigerator and it will keep about 4 days. Stir it well and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
- Freeze Jambalaya in zippered bags with the date written on the outside and it will keep about 2 months.
More Southern Favorites
- Homemade Cornbread Recipe
- Cajun Shrimp Pasta
- Shrimp and Grits
- The Best Sausage Gravy Recipe
- Homemade Biscuits
- Pimento Cheese
- Cheese Grits (personal favorite)
Did your family love this Jambalaya? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Cajun Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 boneless chicken thighs cubed
- ½ pound andouille sausage or smoked sausage, chopped
- ½ small onion diced
- 1 rib celery chopped
- ½ green bell pepper chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon low sodium cajun seasoning I prefer homemade
- 1 cup parboiled rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 tablespoons parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or large oven-proof pot with a lid. Add chicken and sausage. Cook until you get a deep crust. Do not stir too much.
- Add onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook 5 minutes scraping up any brown bits in the bottom of the pan.
- Add garlic, seasoning, and rice and mix very well to ensure the rice is seasoned.
- Add broth and bay leaves. Cover and bake 1 hour.
- Remove from the oven, add raw shrimp, green onions, and parsley. Stir well, cover, and rest 15 minutes.
- Discard bay leaves. Serve with french bread.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Seafood
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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is there a way to do this on a stove top I don’t have a oven proof pot
I have only tried the recipe as written Angie so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. You could try leaving it on the stove at a simmer. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I have a bag of frozen cooked shrimp. Can I use them? If so how would you recommend working them?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Angela, but that should be just fine. I would cook them on the side and add them in at the end. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
This has become my go-to Jambalaya recipe (after having tried several different recipes); the ingredients are easy to find, the flavour is exceptional, the texture is perfect (as in, the rice doesn’t get mushy),and it’s such a nice change to my repertoire!
So glad you loved this Lori!
I just made this for dinner.. delicious! Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe Thank you for another great recipe :)
Glad we could help! Enjoy :)
I have tried many Jambalaya recipes; this is by far the most flavourful and easy to follow recipe! It will be my go-to Jambalaya recipe always.
So glad you loved it Lori!
This Cajun Jambalaya recipe is delicious! Just had for dinner tonight and my husband said that it’s a keeper!
This Jambalaya recipe is definitely a keeper! So easy to make and a hit with my husband. In place of chicken thighs, I used about 3 cups of cubed leftover rotisserie chicken, but other than that followed the recipe. Thanks for sharing this!
Happy you both enjoyed it, Lorna! Thanks for sharing your substitutions.
How do you parboiled rice?
Thanks
It is a type of rice that you buy at any grocery store, or at Amazon. Enjoy!
Back at what temperature?
Hi Joe, the first instruction is to preheat your oven to 350°F. Hope that is what you were looking for! Enjoy the recipe!
So, put the raw shrimp in after its baked for an hour? No further cooking needed for the shrimp? Thanks
Correct. The shrimp will cook from the heat of the rice while the dish rests. Enjoy Travis!