Jambalaya

Jambalaya: A One-Pot Party of Bold Flavors

Love bold flavors and one-pot meals?

Me too!

A Louisiana classic, jambalaya is packed with andouille sausage, tender chicken, juicy shrimp, and perfectly seasoned rice. Think of it as Louisiana’s answer to Spanish paella, but with its own distinctive Southern flair. In every bite of this delicious rice dish you taste tradition, history, and culture.

And it’s super easy to make on a weeknight.

The Heart of Louisiana Cooking: The Holy Trinity

At the foundation of Cajun and Creole cuisine lies a simple yet powerful combination of vegetables: onion, bell pepper, and celery—affectionately known as the “Trinity” of Louisiana cooking.

Add garlic to this mix and it becomes the “Holy Trinity.” Yes! Any time I add garlic to a dish, I think of it as holy.

Much like the French mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery), this aromatic trio forms the base of countless Cajun and Creole dishes, including gumbo, étouffée, shrimp creole, and of course, jambalaya. Each ingredient plays a key role: onions bring natural sweetness, bell peppers add a mild bitterness and depth, and celery contributes an earthy, slightly sweet, grassy, and herbaceous note.

Jambalaya Cooking Tips for Success

Jambalaya is a dish with deep roots in Louisiana’s diverse food culture, shaped by French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences. Here are my tips for making the perfect jambalaya:

• Brown the proteins first. Browning means flavor! And this flavor carries forward to the veggies you’ll sauté next in the proteins’ delicious fat.
• Use the right rice. Long grain white rice works best; do not use instant rice, brown rice, or short grain rice.
• Don’t over stir the rice. Stirring too much can cause a release of starch that will make your jambalaya gummy.
• Simmer don’t boil. A gentle simmer allows the rice to absorb the liquid with all its flavors without the evaporation effect of boiling.
• Add the shrimp last. Shrimp don’t need a long time to cook. Stir them into the rice at the end of the cooking time. Look for them to turn pink and curl up – that’s how you’ll know. they are done.

Jambalaya: More Than Just a Meal

This one-pot meal is surprisingly simple to make, even on a busy weeknight.

And, a great jambalaya isn’t just about the recipe—it’s about the experience of cooking. It’s the sizzle of sausage hitting a hot pan, the aroma of spices filling the air, and the way the ingredients come together in perfect harmony.

So grab your apron, put on some Zydeco music, and get ready to make your tastebuds dance!

Other dishes you may be interested in cooking:

Shrimp Creole

Paella

Jambalaya

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Jambalaya is a bold and flavorful classic Louisiana dish. Easily make this one-pot wonder dish on a weeknight.

• Author: Chef Sandra Lewis
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

Ingredients

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• 1 lb andouille sausage, bias-sliced
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 1/2 lb, boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2–14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, with juices
• 6 fl. oz long-grain white rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (or more if you like it spicy!)
• 1 bay leaf
• kosher salt

Garnish

• fresh chopped parsley
• green onions, bias-sliced

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Instructions

1. Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once heated add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot and swirl the pot to ensure even coating.
2. Add the sausage. Sauté until browned. Remove from the pot and set aside.
3. Add the diced chicken. Sauté until browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside with the sausage.
4. Reduce the heat and add the diced onion, green and red bell peppers, and celery to the pot. Sauté until softened.
5. Add the garlic and sauté just until fragrant, about a minute.
6. Add the seasonings to the vegetable mixture. Sauté for about a minute.
7. Stir in the petite diced tomatoes with their juices and the bay leaf. Sauté over low heat for a minute or two,
8. Stir in the rice and the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
9. When the rice is almost done, stir in the shrimp. Cover the pot and cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.
10. Stir in the cooked sausage and shrimp. Mix everything well and let it stand 5-10 minutes.
11. Remove the bay leaf.
12. Taste and adjust the seasoning with kosher salt, if needed.
13. Spoon into bowls and garnish with the fresh parsley and green onions.

Notes

• This is a lot of protein! Adjust the protein amount as desired.
• The Cajun seasoning amount is based on my seasoning blend. Adjust as needed as most Cajun seasonings are very salty. Look for a seasoning that doesn’t have salt listed as the first ingredient.
• Use long grain white rice. It’s sturdier than basmati or jasmine.