Authentic Jambalaya

A white dinner bowl filled with shrimp and sausage jambalaya next to a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce and a mug of beer.

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Cajun, Creole, Louisiana

Keyword: authentic jambalaya recipe, how to make jambalaya, New Orleans cuisine

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1

Searing chicken and sausage: 15

Total Time: 1 35

Servings:

Calories: 552kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Well, it doesn't get much better than this amazing jambalaya recipe! Classic Louisiana flavor. We love using chicken, andouille sausage and shrimp. Along with the other spices and aromatics that make this an-all favorite dish. So good!

Print Recipe

Equipment

Large pot, such as an 8 qt Dutch oven

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
1 lb chicken thighs boneless, skinless
Salt and pepper
1 lb andouille sausage fully cooked and sliced into rounds (SEE NOTES)
1 yellow onion chopped
1 large green bell pepper cored, seeded and chopped
3 celery ribs chopped
1 jalapeno cored, seeded, and chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp hot sauce i.e., Louisiana, Tobacco, Crystals
2 tsp fresh thyme chopped (or 1 teaspoon, dried)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes crushed with your hands
4 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1½ cups long-grain rice we use white
1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
2 tbsp parsley fresh, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees°F.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
In a large heavy pot, preferably a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken pieces and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from pot and cut into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan over medium-high heat.
Add the cooked sausage and cook until starting to brown, about 4 minutes.
Add all remaining ingredients, except for the shrimp and cooked chicken. Add 2 tsp of salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Stir to fully combine.
Cover and cook in the oven until the rice is nice and tender, about 1 hour.
Remove from oven and stir in the shrimp and cooked chicken. Return to the oven (covered) for 15 minutes. The shrimp should be nice and pink, if it doesn't look fully cooked, return to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Stir with a wooden spoon and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired. Serve at once with additional hot sauce.

Notes

See the video near the top of the blog post for visual guidance. If you liked the video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel!

We recommend not adding super cold chicken stock to the mixture, this will take longer to heat through. Either gently heat the stock/broth on the stove, or add room temperature stock/broth. If you do add cold stock/broth, you will probably need to increase the bake time by another 15 to 20 minutes to fully cook the rice. Do a taste test on the rice to determine this.

We love to make this recipe with raw andouille sausage that is in links. You can find this easily in the Southern U.S. states and in many well-stocked supermarkets or meat markets. You'll need to cook the sausage before starting this recipe. We love to grill ours, or cook it in a hot skillet with a little water. If you can't find fresh (raw) andouille sausage, you can usually find it already smoked (and fully cooked) in the refrigerated area of your market near other smoked sausages and hot dogs. No need to cook smoked sausage, just slice it and then brown it as instructed in the recipe.

Reheat leftovers in a pot on the stove with the addition of a half to 1 cup of broth or water.

Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for up to 1 week and it freezes nicely for up to 2 months.

Nutrition