This Jambalaya is made with Cajun flavors and spices, this Louisiana favorite is one of my best recipes yet. It’s treasured in my family, and hopefully it will become a preference in your home as well.
What is Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a creole or cajun dish of the French or Spanish influence. It’s made with meats, herbs, spices, rice, chicken or seafood stock . Meats used for Jambalaya includes sausage, shrimp and chicken. Most people prefer to use all three.
There’s a difference between Cajun Jambalaya and Creole Jambalaya. Cajun Jambalaya’s made with herbs and spices, but doesn’t include tomatoes. Whereas, Creole Jambalaya’s made with tomatoes, along with Cajun spices and herbs. My recipe on the other hand is the best of both worlds. Personally, I don’t care for chunks of tomatoes in my jambalaya, so instead, I use tomato paste. The tomato paste gives it a light tomato flavor, without it being overbearing.
Jambalaya’s always compared to gumbo. The dishes have similarities, but they’re different in many ways. Gumbo’s a stew made with a roux, meat, seafood and veggies. Jambalaya’s also made with meat, seafood and veggies. Instead of a roux, it’s made using chicken or seafood stock. They both include flavorful vegetables like celery, onion, bell pepper and garlic.
How to prepare
I consider my Jambalaya one of the easiest recipes on the internet. You can have premium, authentic Jambalaya at home in a short amount of time. First, you’ll start by cooking your meats. I use andouille sausage, chicken breast or thighs and shrimp. It is important to cook your sausage first, then follow with your chicken and shrimp. This way, the flavors from the sausage will enhance the flavors of the chicken and shrimp.
Next, you will follow with the veggies. The veggies include celery, bell pepper, onion and garlic. Even if you don’t eat one those vegetables, it is still imperative to add them to this dish for the increased level of flavor. You will then add tomato paste to the vegetables, along with thyme, cayenne pepper and Old Bay.
Once you mix it all together, add your chicken stock, and bay leaves. The mixture will then simmer for a minimum of twenty-five minutes. As with any soup, stew or sauce mixture, the longer it simmers, the more flavorful it will be.
Lastly, you will mix everything together along with your cooked rice. I highly recommend rinsing your rice prior to cooking to remove the surface starch. This is completely optional, but it will prevent your Jambalaya from being gummy in texture.
Serve it warm with French bread, and you’ll have an A+ meal!
There’s an Instagram Reel, and a IGTV video of me preparing this on my Instagram page. Both links are below. If you make this recipe, please tag me on any of the social media platforms linked on this page. That’s it! I hope you enjoy!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CO57ZZRBpnZ/
https://www.instagram.com/tv/B77cQtTJE77/
Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 lb large or jumbo shrimp peeled, deveined, tail-off
- 2 andouille sausage links sliced
- 2 cups long grain white rice cooked according to package instructions
- 2 celery sticks diced
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 or 4 garlic cloves minced or chopped
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp Old Bay
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
- salt to taste
- 1 tsp Old Bay for chicken
- 1/4 tsp Old Bay for shrimp
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, season chicken with Old Bay. In another bowl, season shrimp with Old Bay as well.
- Cook rice according to package instructions. I recommend rinsing your rice until the water runs clear from it. This will remove the surface starch, and prevent your rice from being sticky.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook sausage on both sides until browned, approximately 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove and add chicken. Cook chicken on both sides until browned and cooked thoroughly, approximately 7 minutes total. Remove and add shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
- In same skillet, add butter. Once butter has started to melt, add onion, bell pepper and celery. Sauté veggies until they are translucent. Add garlic, and cook additional 3 minutes, stirring to ensure you don't burn the garlic. Stir in tomato paste, and stir until paste is fully mixed with vegetables.
- Stir in Old Bay, dried thyme and cayenne pepper. Whisk in chicken broth. Add bay leaves and reduce to heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove bay leaves, turn off heat and taste sauce. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. I find myself only needing a small pinch sometimes, but often it doesn't need any.
- Stir in rice and cooked meats. Serve warm and enjoy.
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