This easy jambalaya recipe is a hearty one-pot meal made with chicken, shrimp, and smoky andouille sausage simmered with Cajun spices, veggies, and rice.
This is the best jambalaya recipe I’ve ever used. I’ve made it several times since I found it 5 years ago. Thank you!
– LISA
Say hello to one of the most-loved recipes on Gimme Some Oven. ♡
For more than 10 years now, this easy jambalaya recipe has been a go-to for readers craving something hearty, nostalgic, and bursting with flavor. The mix of smoky andouille sausage, juicy chicken and shrimp (or whichever proteins you prefer!) all simmer together with Cajun seasoning to make this classic dish absolutely irresistible. It’s the kind of one-pot comfort food that’s cozy and festive at the same time and easy enough for a regular weeknight.
Over the years, I’ve loved seeing how many of you have made this recipe your own. Some keep it classic, others swap in different proteins (hello, crab or veggie sausage!), toss in extra veggies, or dial the heat up or down depending on your crew’s taste. However you adapt it, the end result is reliably delicious — and the leftovers reheat beautifully, which is always a win!
If you’re new to cooking jambalaya, don’t worry. This recipe is surprisingly simple to pull off and comes together in under an hour. And if you’re a longtime fan, I hope this serves as a reminder to bring it back to your dinner rotation soon!
Jambalaya Ingredients
Alright, let’s talk ingredients. To make this classic jambalaya recipe, you will need:
- The Cajun “holy trinity”: A classic mix of celery, onion, and green bell pepper that forms the flavorful base of almost any jambalaya. Green peppers are traditional, but I sometimes like to add red or yellow peppers for extra color and sweetness.
- Heat: A jalapeño plus a pinch of cayenne pepper add just the right kick. Adjust both up or down depending on how spicy you like things.
- Seasonings: A blend of garlic, Cajun seasoning, thyme, and a bay leaf gives this dish its signature depth and warmth.
- Proteins: I like a hearty mix of chicken, shrimp, and andouille sausage, but you can keep it simple with just one or two — or even swap in other favorites (crab, smoked sausage, veggie sausage, etc.).
- Rice: Long-grain white rice is traditional and cooks up light and fluffy, but short-grain works too if that’s what you have on hand.
- Chicken stock: Keeps everything flavorful and helps the rice cook evenly; add extra if the pot starts to look dry.
- Tomatoes: A can of crushed tomatoes adds acidity and richness to the broth.
- Okra: Fresh or frozen — it naturally thickens the jambalaya and adds that classic Southern touch. If using frozen, be sure to let it thaw before adding to the recipe.
- Finishing touches: Kosher salt and black pepper for seasoning at the end, plus optional green onions, parsley, and lemon wedges for a pop of freshness before serving.
Recipe Tips
Detailed step-by-step instructions are included in the recipe below, but here are a few quick tips to read through if you’re making this recipe for the first time:
- Prep everything first. Jambalaya moves quickly once you start cooking, so it helps to have all of your veggies chopped and proteins ready to go before you heat the pan.
- Brown the chicken and sausage well. Let the andouille get nice and golden to build a flavorful base for the entire pot. Those browned bits add so much flavor and will season the rice beautifully.
- Adjust liquid as needed. If the rice looks dry before it’s fully cooked, stir in a splash of extra chicken stock. (Different rice brands can absorb liquid differently.)
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. Add the raw shrimp toward the very end and simmer just until pink and opaque — they cook quickly!
- Season at the end. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or Cajun seasoning once everything’s done. The flavors will deepen as it simmers, so wait to adjust until the end.
Jambalaya Variations
This recipe is endlessly adaptable, so please feel free to customize and make it your own! Here are a few ideas:
- Different proteins: Swap the chicken, shrimp, or sausage for whatever you love — smoked turkey, crab, crawfish, or even a vegetarian sausage all work well.
- Make it vegetarian: Skip the meat and load up on extra veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, or additional peppers are great). Use veggie stock and add beans for extra protein if you’d like.
- Adjust the heat: Prefer it milder? Omit the jalapeño and cut back the cayenne. Want it spicier? Add an extra jalapeño, cayenne, or a splash of hot sauce.
- Rice swaps: Use brown rice for a nuttier flavor and more fiber (you’ll need to increase the cooking time and stock as needed), or try cauliflower rice for a lighter, low-carb version.
- Extra veggies: Toss in chopped tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, or greens (like kale or spinach).
- Seafood jambalaya: Skip the chicken and sausage and double the shrimp, or mix in crabmeat, scallops, or mussels at the end.
- Filé powder: Stir in a pinch of filé powder (ground sassafras leaves) at the very end for an authentic Creole touch and extra depth of flavor.
More Favorite Cajun Recipes To Try!
Love this jambalaya recipe? Be sure to also check out these faves:
Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1 (14-ounce) package andouille sausage, thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 cup sliced okra
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 2 small bell peppers (green, red, or a mix), cored and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups uncooked long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (see note below)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 3 to 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 –2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional, but recommended)
- garnishes: thinly-sliced green onions, chopped fresh parsley, hot sauce
Instructions
- Brown the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in an even layer and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden and just cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Brown the sausage. Add the sausage to the same pot and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer to the plate with the chicken.
- Quick-sauté the okra (optional but recommended). Add a small drizzle of oil to the pot if needed. Add the okra and sauté for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden. Transfer the okra to a small bowl and set aside. (This step helps reduce okra’s sliminess and keeps its texture intact.)
- Sauté the vegetables. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pot. Stir in the onion, bell peppers, celery, and jalapeño. Sauté for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Toast the rice. Add the rice, Cajun seasoning, thyme and bay leaf. Stir constantly for about 1 minute, until the rice is lightly toasted and the mixture is fragrant.
- Simmer. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and 3 cups chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 18–20 minutes, until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. If the rice is still not tender, you can add an extra ½ cup of broth, but try to avoid stirring too much so that the rice cooks evenly.
- Add the okra, shrimp, and meats. Stir in the okra, shrimp, and the reserved chicken and sausage. Turn off the heat, cover, and let everything steam for 4–5 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and opaque.
- Finish and season. Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice, then taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or Cajun seasoning as needed.
- Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with green onions, parsley, and hot sauce if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Perfect and I don’t change anything. I’ve also made a vegetarian version which works out pretty good as well.
Thanks for the recipe
Absolutely delicious! We loved it!
I grew up around New Orleans. I have never seen anyone put okra in Jambalaya. I personally don’t recommend it as it is not a traditional ingredient pertaining to this dish. That being said do as you wish.
2nd.. A suggestion.. Unless you live in Louisiana and can get real andouille sausage which is highly smoked… Skip the fake process stuff that is sold in your area because trust me anything commercially processed won’t taste like the real thing. Instead look a good quality smoked sausage from a with a strong smoke flavor.
And just an informational tidbit, if you add tomatoes whether it is tomatoes, tomato sauce or whatever it would be considered a creole jambalaya. If you skip the tomatoes it would traditionally be considered a cajun jambalaya. Good luck and enjoy
Delicious! Made almost exactly as directed. Used one chicken breast & one thigh. Store was out of fresh jalapeños, so I used pickled. I will definitely make it again.
This is a very good recipe! The only changes were that I used more broth and added the sausage and chicken about 10 minutes before the rice was completed cooked, so it absorved theirs flavour; the dish was perfetly moist and tasted so good! Thanks!
Slam dunk with the men. It was delicious and sooo ez
Made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! I used brown rice because that’s all I had on hand but it was delicious. Thanks for sharing.
O.M.G…. new family favorite! Thank You!
This is a bit of a mixed review. I loved and didn’t love aspects of this recipe. Starting with the good: the flavors in this jambalaya are fantastic! I made it with chicken breast, shrimp and kielbasa (no andouille since meat plants have been locked down for quarantine and store selection was slim). I made the cajun seasoning according to the linked recipe. (Smoked paprika is definitely the way to go over regular paprika! Added a deeply satisfying depth to all the other good tastes in the pot.) The seasoning mix is a definite winner that I will be using repeatedly this summer!
Now the not so good part: When at least 6 ingredients in a recipe require dicing, mincing or slicing, there is NO way prep time is 15 minutes!! I should have cottoned on to this early, but the lightbulb didn’t go off until I was at least 30 minutes into the slicing and dicing. So beware! This recipe requires a lot of prep time.
My other issue with the recipe has to do with the rice. I used basmati and 4 cups of liquid, plus whatever came from the tomatoes. I cooked for 27 minutes, stirring every 5, as directed. My rice mixture was very gloppy, and as a texture person, this was the most disappointing aspect, especially after all the time spent chopping! I wish love a little more guidance with choice of rice and amount of liquid. 3-4cups of liquid is a big difference! I had looked at other reviewers’ comments and pre-soaked the basmati. I know basmati sucks in a lot of liquid, so I opted to use 4 cups, not 3. Maybe next time, I will start with 3.
Bottom Line: I said “next time” because there will definitely be a second dance for me and this recipe! Even though the rice was sticky and gloppy and stuck to the spoon, my husband and teens had second helpings. The flavors were Just. That. Good!
The flavor was delicious. I modified the recipe with variety of poultry,seafood and vegetables. Will make this again!
It was definitely super tasty, I have picky eaters in the house and was nervous about how they would react. Let’s just say my kids fought over the pot and cleared two plates each, which almost never happens. Anyway, I chose to cook the rice separately before integrating into the pot to avoid crunchy rice, then I simmered for 10 minutes. I used the chicken stock to cook rice and ran out so I used 3 cups of beef stock for the pot. I also used:
1/4 teaspoon mustard
Teaspoon cumin
1 Tablespoon chili powder
3 tablespoons of honey for a little more depth of flavor.
But overall was really pleased with your recipe ?