Authentic Jambalaya

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Cajun, Creole, Louisiana

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 1

Searing chicken and sausage: 15

Total Time: 1 35

Servings:

Calories: 544kcal

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-time favorite dish. So good!

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Equipment

Large pot, such as an 8 qt Dutch oven

Ingredients

1 lb chicken thighs boneless, skinless
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoon olive oil
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 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon hot sauce i.e., Louisiana, Tabasco, Crystals
2 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped (or 1 teaspoon, dried)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon 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 tablespoon parsley fresh, chopped, for garnish (optional)
2 tablespoon scallions chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees°F.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
1 lb chicken thighs, Salt and pepper
In a large heavy pot, preferably a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat.
3 tbsp olive oil
Add the chicken pieces and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and cut into bite-sized 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.
1 lb andouille sausage
Add the onion, green bell pepper, celery, jalapeño, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, vinegar, and hot sauce, and cook for another couple of minutes.
1 yellow onion, 1 large green bell pepper, 3 celery ribs, 1 jalapeno, 4 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp hot sauce
Stir in the thyme and all of the seasonings, plus 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Sauté for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the tomatoes (crushing them with your hands) with the juice, chicken stock, and bay leaves.
2 tsp fresh thyme, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, 4 cups chicken stock, 2 bay leaves
Stir in the rice. Cover and cook in the oven until the rice is nice and tender, about 1 hour.
1½ cups long-grain rice
Remove from the 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.
1 lb shrimp
Stir with a wooden spoon and garnish with fresh parsley, if desired. Serve at once with additional hot sauce, and chopped Parsley and scallions for garnish, if desired.
2 tbsp parsley, 2 tbsp scallions

Video

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video in the recipe card for visual guidance.

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