Authentic Jambalaya
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This quintessential dish from New Orleans is a spicy one-pot rice dish featuring chicken, andouille sausage, shrimp, and a whole host of Southern flavors. This authentic jambalaya recipe is all you need to create that classic Creole dish that is guaranteed to win everyone over. Let the feast begin!
Most of us won’t be going down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but that doesn’t have to stop us from enjoying some great Creole food, does it? No way! We can travel to New Orleans via our taste buds by making and enjoying its most famous dish – Jambalaya! This authentic Jambalaya recipe consistently gets rave reviews and is sure to be a hit at your dinner table!
What is Jambalaya?
If there’s one dish that captures the soul of Louisiana cuisine, it’s jambalaya. This hearty and spicy one-pot chicken, sausage, shrimp and rice dish is a celebration of history, culture and flavor. Jambalaya has deep roots, tracing its origins to the Spanish Valencian Paella and Seafood Paella and the flavors of French, African, and Caribbean cuisine. The dish is built in layers, with the “holy trinity” (onions, bell peppers, and celery), proteins (usually chicken, andouille sausage and shrimp), tomatoes, spices, and rice. It simmers to perfection, letting all the flavors meld into a beautiful, spicy, deeply satisfying dish.
Cajun vs Creole Jambalaya
There are two general kinds of jambalaya: Creole and Cajun. Both utilize what’s referred to as the “holy trinity” – onion, celery, and bell pepper (usually green). The main difference is that Creole jambalaya, also called “red jambalaya” uses tomatoes while Cajun jambalaya does not. Another difference is the order in which the ingredients are prepared. I’m sharing an authentic Creole jambalaya recipe with you.
Jambalaya Ingredients and Substitutions
Creole jambalaya is made with a combination of proteins, vegetables, rice and seasonings. Here is what you’ll need to make it:
- The “Holy Trinity”: Onion, celery and green bell pepper. Additionally, diced tomatoes are added along with yellow onion, green onions and garlic.
- Proteins: Chicken, andouille sausage and shrimp. While anyone in New Orleans will tell you that it’s sacrilegious to use anything but andouille sausage, if you have a hard time finding it you can substitute a smoked sausage of your choice. For the shrimp, choose medium shrimp and devein them. Whether you leave the tails on or remove them is purely aesthetics and a matter of personal preference.
- Butter: For sautéing the chicken and vegetables.
- Rice: Choose a long grain white rice variety for this such as Louisiana rice (like this one or this one), Carolina rice or similar. As a matter of personal preference, some people like to use par-boiled rice because it isn’t as sticky.
- Chicken Broth: For simmering everything in. Store-bought or homemade chicken broth, your choice.
- Seasonings: Hot sauce for some kick (add more or less per preference), Worcestershire sauce for depth and umami, bay leaves for an earthy flavor, salt to tie it all together, and most importantly Creole seasoning. I very strongly recommend making your own homemade Creole Seasoning. I promise, it will give you the BEST flavor.
As I already mentioned above, an absolutely key ingredient in this dish is the Creole seasoning and I STRONGLY recommend you make your own. The flavor will be fresher, bolder and SO much better than store-bought. It’s super quick and simple to make and trust me, it’s WORTH it! Check out my recipe for homemade Creole Seasoning.
Jambalaya Recipe
Let’s get started!
Make the homemade Creole Seasoning. Trust me, it’s so much better than store-bought and will make a HUGE difference in the flavor outcome of your jambalaya.
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and slice the andouille sausage. Stir half of the Creole seasoning in the chicken to evenly coat. Set aside until ready to use.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the andouille sausage and cook for another 3 minutes or until the sausage begins to brown. Add the onion, garlic, green bell pepper, and celery and cook for another 4 minutes.
Stir in the rice, tomatoes, and the remaining Creole seasoning.
Add the broth, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and bay leaves.
Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, giving it a stir around the halfway point.
Stir in the shrimp, cover, and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes. Add more Creole seasoning, hot sauce, or salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with some sliced green onions. Your authentic jambalaya is ready to serve!
Enjoy!
New Orleans Jambalaya is truly the ultimate comfort food and is sure to become a favorite (just check out all the rave reviews below). So come get your Creole on and laissez les bons temps rouler!
But first, a few words from Mr. Hank Williams Jr.. And yes, at the risk of starting a rebellion I’ll admit that I like The Carpenter’s version best. My apologies to Hank. Hit it, Karen!
Goodbye, Joe, me gotta go, me oh my oh.
Me gotta go, pole the pirogue down the bayou.
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh.
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou!
Thibodaux, Fontaineaux, the place is buzzin’,
kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen.
Dress in style and go hog wild, me oh my oh.
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou!
Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and filé gumbo
‘Cause tonight I’m gonna see my ma cher amio.
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gayo,
Son of a gun, we’ll have big fun on the bayou!
For more delicious Southern recipes be sure to try my:
- Shrimp and Grits
- Butter Beans
- Grillades and Grits
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- Fried Okra
- Pickled Okra
- Corn Pudding
- Andouille and Greens with Cheese Grits
- Sausage Gravy and Biscuits
- Boiled Peanuts
- Skillet Cornbread
- Southern Black Eyed Pea Salad
- Fried Catfish
- Chicken Fried Steak Burgers
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Authentic Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound chicken breast , cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 pound andouille sausage , sliced in 1/4 inch thick rounds (can substitute smoked sausage of choice)
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 green bell pepper , diced
- 1 stalk celery , diced
- 1 cup long grain white rice (e.g. Louisiana or Carolina rice or similar)
- 14.5 ounce canned diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons homemade Creole seasoning , (click link for recipe; homemade STRONGLY recommended for the best flavor)
- 1-2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 pound medium raw shrimp , deveined (optional: tails removed)
- 4 green onions , thinly sliced
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of the homemade Creole seasoning. Set aside.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on all sides. Add the andouille sausage and cook for another 3 minutes or so until the sausage begins to brown.Add the onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the rice, diced tomatoes, remaining tablespoon of Creole seasoning, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth and bay leaves.Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, giving it one stir around the halfway point. Add the shrimp, cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the rice is tender.Serve sprinkled with some sliced green onions.
Nutrition
Originally Published on The Daring Gourmet February 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Really nice recipe! I did the cajun version without tomato. As in France we don’t have the exact counterpart of the american “andouille” (what we call the same here is a chitterling sausage), I used small smoked Morteau sausages instead and it went very well!
Easy to do and very tasty, thumbs up!
That’s wonderful, Thomas, I’m happy to hear it was a hit, even without the tomatoes! :) The Morteau sausages were a great choice – I wish we had those here!
Just finished a huge bowl of this and it was fantastic. A little too much heat for some at the table but I thought it was perfect. We had a fight over who got the last shrimp!
If you’re a northerner like me, and making this for company, I would cut the cayenne in half and let people add hot sauce to heat it up, just to be safe.
Awesome, Jay, I’m so glad it was a hit, thanks for the feedback!
Good afternoon! Is jambalaya like gumbo in that if I made if a few days in advance of when I need it the flavors would have time to continue to blend? Or do you recommend making this recipe day of?
Hi Laura, jambalaya is a thicker stew because it has rice and I wouldn’t recommend making it in advance for that reason – the rice will absorb even more liquid over time and the texture won’t be good. You could theoretically make everything else a couple of days in advance but I would then add the rice and shrimp in just before serving.
Thank you! Excited to try this recipe!
Happy cooking, Laura, and let us know how it goes!
Loved this jambalaya. It had the perfect amount of kick and was a very easy one pot meal
Terrific, so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Where’s the filé powder?
Filé powder is an integral ingredient in gumbo but is not commonly added to jambalaya.
Can anyone help me plan a meal around this? Cocktail, appetizer, dessert? Thanks it’s for DH birthday.
Hi, Kimberly. I love to cook and am so accustomed to sauteeing my vegetsbles before throwing them in that pot with the sausage and chicken. Can I still do that with the jambalaya or do I need to throw them in without cooking, as you have done in your recipe? 2) Also, I am not used to including white meat in my gumbos and such cajun/creole; I use the dark meata nd save white for ch salads. Could I go with dark, or both, in your recipe? I find the dark meat so much more succulent in recipes and the white meat more dry. What is your recommendation here?
Hi Barbara, you do the saute the veggies in this recipe as well, in step 3. They’re sauteed with the chicken and sausage so they can absorb those flavors. You mentioned that you usually saute them first and you can certainly do that too if you prefer. I agree, dark meat is more flavorful, no question, and you can most certainly substitute the white meat for dark or in combination, whichever you prefer. Happy cooking!
Hi have you tried this in a slow cooker? How much time should I cook it if I do? thank you
Hi Carole, I actually have one that’s for the slow cooker, here you go: Slow Cooker Jambalaya. Happy cooking!
Do you drain the can of tomatoes or add with the liquid?
Hi Lucas, add both the tomatoes and the liquid. Happy cooking :)
I happened to stumble upon your blog when looking for a good jambalaya recipe, and yours looked the most appealing. I made it, and I loved it. It was perfect! And now, my friends and family won’t hear the end of it :). I just want to say thank you for sharing your talent and passion, and that I look forward to finding more awesome recipes on your blog!
Thanks so much, Emily, I’m thrilled to hear that, thank you! I’m so happy you found my blog and looking forward to seeing you around! :)