Easy Jambalaya with Chicken, Shrimp, and Andouille Sausage ready in under an hour. A New Orleans-style meal fit for the family. Check it out!
This is the perfect filling and flavorful comfort food dinner. For more hearty Southern Stews, try my Seafood Gumbo and Brunswick Stew.
Sabrina’s Easy Jambalaya Recipe
This savory and rich Jambalaya is a classic comfort food that contains chicken, sausage, and shrimp cooked with the holy trinity of New Orleans flavors, celery, onion, and bell peppers! Cajun seasoning and other spices are added to flavor the dish, while rice — traditionally cooked with the rest of the ingredients — can be served alongside it. To experience all the flavors of New Orleans, you can also make Beignets for dessert.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts , skinless, boneless, cut into chunks
- 1 pound andouille sausage links , sliced
- 1 pound shrimp , 13-15 count
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion , chopped
- 1 red bell pepper , finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery , thinly sliced
- 1 can (28 ounces) tomatoes , diced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Add vegetable oil to your Dutch oven on medium-high heat.
- Add the sausage to the pan and cook until crisp and browned.
- Remove the sausage and add in the onion, bell pepper and celery.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the chicken, tomatoes, broth, thyme, oregano, cajun seasoning and cayenne and cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes. (It should be simmering but not boiling, reduce heat as needed)
- Add the shrimp and sausage, stir and cook for 3-5 minutes, uncovered, before serving.
Nutrition
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Chefs Notes
This dish makes great leftovers but only if reheated the right way! If cooked without rice, scoop some rice into your bowl and ladle the jambalaya over top, removing the shrimp from the bowl and setting it aside. Cover with a wet paper towel and microwave until very hot (for us this is 3-4 minutes). Lift the paper towel, add the shrimp into the bowl, recover it, and let it sit for 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, reheat the shrimp in a skillet over medium heat.
Table of Contents
About this Recipe
Yes, this Louisiana dish is traditionally made with white rice in the pot. However, I tested cooking Jambalaya the traditional way as well as without rice in the pot, and I love this version significantly more.
This is a giant pot of food, and you’ll likely have leftovers. If you store it with rice mixed into the pot, it will dry out the stew. The rice can also turn out mushy or dry when cooked in the pot. So, I recommend the rice on the side. You can use long-grain rice (Basmati rice) or short-grain white rice in your dish. Make the rice buttery and slightly salted before pouring this over, and just give it a few minutes to marry the flavors together.
Can This Be Made Ahead?
Absolutely! Jambalaya tastes even better when made ahead as the flavors have more time to meld. Simply let it cool, store it in the fridge for up to 3 days, and reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. It’s perfect to freeze for meal prep or to enjoy later.
How to Store
- Store: Do not leave Jambalaya at room temperature longer than 2 hours before refrigerating. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: You can also freeze it for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. Defrost in the refrigerator before reheating.
FAQ’s
Gumbo is a traditional stew-type dish made with a roux to thicken the sauce. Jambalaya is a traditional rice-based recipe made with chicken, sausage and shrimp in one pot.
½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or white pepper, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoons dried thyme. Mix all the ingredients together and store in a covered container for up to three months
This recipe is not designed to be too spicy at all. If you enjoy spicy food just add your favorite hot sauce or some crushed pepper flakes to your dish according to your heat preference!
2 cups uncooked rice makes about 6 cups cooked rice, which should work perfectly for the family.
Traditionally it’s served with rice and a side of Southern cornbread. Sometimes creamed corn is served, and if served with creamed corn try spicing it up with some jalapeños!
Related Recipes
More Bold Cajun Recipes
Photos used in a previous version of this post.
Jambalaya calls for meats to be cooked in a pot with rice, where is the rice in this recipe ? I’m from Louisiana and I’ve never seen such a recipe for jambalaya without rice, the whole dish is about the rice being cooked raw with the cooked meats thus the rice takes on all the flavor once the dish is done.
Jambalaya contains rice, when do you add it?
I’d love to get a GREAT Gumbo recipes from you. That would great!!!!!!
Made this with 4 cups of chicken broth and the rice in the pot. Was delicious. It took the rice a little more than an hour to be fully cooked.
Awesome. Used ham stock and ham from easter. Easy, smell wonderful. Thank you.
I got the shrimp and sausage yesterday and tried your recipe this evening. It was fantastic, followed your directions exactly as given. I did put it over brown rice. It took me about an hour to
prepare though, guess I’ll have to buy one of those old school choppers like my mom had.
Is the nutritional information on the bottom of this recipe correct? It is 165kcal per gram or is this a typo? Any update would be greatly appreciated.
This was an easy recipe to follow and it was delicious!!
Great recipe! I add diced a poblano or Anaheim chili, then okra (frozen chopped) and smoked paprika (1-2 tsp) with the sausage. Comes out a bit different every time but always good.
Great quick recipe. I bought a whole rotisserie chicken and cut the breast into cubes to save time. It was still tender after letting it cook with the shrimp as it states in the last step. My husband gave this 2 thumbs up. Rice was made on the side and cornbread muffins. Definitely will keep this in rotation.
Love this! However, since I hate bell peppers, I left those out. The spice combo was great and I usually don’t like cayenne but it works for me with all the other spices. This also goes well with leftover garlic butter noodles, but yeah, rice is better.
Love this recipe! I’m wondering if I could use ham stock instead of chicken stock as I just made 4 quarts of it! What do you think?
YES, that sounds amazing!
Perfect
Love that you make the rice separately! My mom always did that for her shrimp creole. This is the perfect recipe for jambalaya!
Easy to make and great flavor. I thought it might have too many tomatoes but it turned out fine. We used already cooked shrimp so next time I would use raw to soak up all the flavors. A side of cornbread would be great also.
As a native of the Jambalaya Capital of the World, I have to point out a few things.
– Jambalaya doesn’t have a broth. It’s not a soup. It’s never wet.
– Most jambalaya cooks don’t mix meat and seafood. It’s one or the other.
– Jambalaya never has tomatoes in it.
Please consider getting a more authentic recipe for this dish.
This was awesome!!!!!! And so easy!
Wonderful dish for dinner. Taste is so good….
Jambalaya is a rice dish. I have made it with pork ribs and no tomatoes. It varies from town to town.More like paella. Chicken and sausage is popular. Gumbo is a soup. It is served over rice.A stew is called a stew in Cajun cooking,like shrimp stew.Its thick and served over rice.If you don’t cook the rice together with the ingredients you don’t have jambalaya you have a stew or if its soupy it might be more of a gumbo.No roux in jambalaya ,roux and little liquid in stew, roux and more liquid in gumbo.
This recipe is amazing. I left out the shrimp and froze the whole batch in individual vacuum sealed bags for a camping trip off-grid. Serving this over fresh rice will be so awesome as a quick meal. Thank you! No soggy jambalaya for us!
I loved this recipe. Not a fan of spicy food but this was really delicious and turned out great.
I live in Louisiana where jambalaya is taken Seriously. I took a chance and prepared this recipe at home and my family ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!
If using beef sausage I would treat it the same as regular sausage, correct?
Do you drain the can of diced tomatoes?
No, I do not.
I made this exactly according to your recipe, and also made your cornbread. What an easy, delicious comfort meal! Many thanks for sharing. We all loved it!
This is amazing!!!!!
Is this very spicy? It looks really good but my son doesn’t like spicy food so I was wondering how much I need to adjust the seasonings.
I would say its medium spicy. You might have to test it out to get it to the heat level he would enjoy.
Looks great. Will be trying it soon.
This is not Jambalaya. Jambalaya is cooked with the rice and no roux should ever be in Jambalaya. Cajun Jambalaya does not have tomato’s. Creole Jambalaya does have tomatoes.
who cares?? It’s delicious
I agree with you Alexis, there’s always a least 1 HATER full of negativity.
Not a hater just correct cooking terms. You should say thanks.
This was my first time making Jambalaya and this recipe is absolutely delicious! Entire family devoured it. Will definitely be saving this one and checking out your other recipes! Thank you!
I’m glad you decided to give it a try, Jackie.
Is there a way to make it thicker?
You can add a roux at the end to thicken it if you’d like.
Is the chicken cooked before adding? Or is it cooking in the broth?
It’ll cook in the broth. Enjoy!
Pretty good. Prefer rice cooked in and surprised recipe did not call for any garlic. Tasty though!
Deeellliigghhhtffffulllll ? easy and tastes GREAT!!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Charisse. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This is Excellent, I made it as it says to, except for the Sausage
I used Eckridge kilbosa
Easy to make and Good to eat
Will be making it again
Have a Blessed day
In step 5 are you adding raw chicken? I would think you should brown it first.
5. Reduce the heat and add the chicken, tomatoes, broth, thyme, oregano, cajun seasoning and cayenne and cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes
BTW i love the rice on this side for those who want a healthier option with less carbs, you can control your rice intake when its on the side. that was how i found your recipe. Can’t wait to make it tonight, just concerned about cooking the chicken first before adding it.
Cheers,
Kay
Pls adding chicken to the mix which onions celery and bell peppers cook down to water and your adding the tomatoes and chicken broth. So it is boiling for 20 mins. Cooked chicken anyone.
This was my first time making jambalaya and it was great! Just the right kick. I used canned fire roasted red tomatoes and Better than Bouillon Lobster Base. My husband and I are pescatarians so I used only shrimp. Absolutely delicious ??
Wonderful recipe! My dad loved it as well as the rest of the family! Just the right amount of spice!
Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know how much everyone enjoyed it, Kelly.
I have made 1/2 this recipe twice. Very good and easy to make. Big hit with the family. First time, I used the diced tomatoes. Second time, I used crushed tomatoes because I had them on hand. Didn’t notice much difference but will use diced next time – less liquid. Both times, served over brown rice. Thanks.
Thanks for the 5 stars, Patrick. Nice to know this recipe is now a go-to one for you.
Absolutely delicious I make it every week. I used Oktoberfest sausages and put them on the bbq and I also put chicken breasts on the bbq. I cut them up and add them with the cooked shrimp after. It was amazing. I made lemon rice on the side too it has great flavour. Great recipe I love it??
Sounds amazing!
I have made this recipe 3 times now. The first time I fixed the rice on the side and the next 2 times I cooked it with the rice. I love it both ways. It has great flavor and just the right amount of spice.
Thanks for coming back to let me know, Mauna.
This dish was absolutely delicious! My family and I loved it! Easy and not so many ingredients! You can prep ahead so when you are ready to cook it’s quick! Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Kim.
This was fantastic! Served with a side of cajun seasoned catfish caught by my father in law! Next time gonna do some hush puppies!
Is there a cooking video?
I don’t have one yet for this recipe.
When would you start putting in the rice if you wanted to cook it with the Jambalaya?
If you’d like to make it including the rice, I would use 2 cups of rice and 3 cups of broth. Enjoy!
When would you add the rice?
I’d add it in step 5 but allow the mixture to come to a simmer first before allowing it to cook for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to stir every 5 minutes or so while it cooks so that the rice doesn’t burn. Enjoy!
I made the jambalaya for the first time it was amazing so delicious 5 stars
This was quite lovely. Me and hubby really enjoyed it. I didn’t have an onion (which is quite rare in my household) but did use scallions. Cut down a bit on cayenne so it wasn’t spicy but maybe cut back too much since there wasn’t much of a kick. Other than that, everything was the same. Look forward to make more in the future. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Easy recipe, added a little salt once I sat down to eat, and a little rice in the bowl.
Hey there Sabrina! I came across your delicious recipe and realized that someone on Instagram is using same pictures and claiming it as their own. Not sure if that bothers you, but just wanted you to know. You worked on this recipe and it’s only right you receive credit.
Oh no! Do you mind emailing me the information. Contact @ dinnerthendessert . com.
Thank you!
This sounds so good. Getting shrimp tomorrow and giving it a go. Too bad so many are critical of it. I’d say get over it and try it. Thanks, Sabrina
This was an easy and delicious recipe! Takes me back to Louisiana where I served in the military. I just added a squeeze of lemon to my shrimp and extra cayenne because I’m spicy like that. Thank you!
Can i use a regular pan if i don’t have a dutch oven?
Yes 🙂
This is a great recipe and easy to prepare. I followed the recipe and it was delicious! We served it with rice and had a slaw and sourdough bread for a fabulous meal! Thanks for sharing this keeper!
I really enjoyed this meal. I made a few substitutes, for instance, I used pasta instead of rice and I couldn’t add thyme however it still came out so good. I also add about a cup of parmesan because I wanted the juice to be thicker.
ME again. I ONLY used sausage by the way. It was all the meat i had on hand . It with the pasta was enough to fill me up.
So glad you were able to easily adapt it. Thanks for the 5 stars, Kishany.
Trying to watch my calorie intake but obviously I still want to eat this deliciousness! ? I noticed that the recipe says it is 8 servings but what would you say the serving size is?
About 1 cup. Enjoy!
I’ve made this twice, my family eats this before I can get a picture. It’s delicious.
Haha, that’s a good sign!
Hi Sabrina,
Will be definitely making this recipe sounds AMAZING!! I would like to know if you are adding cooked shrimp or raw?
Thank you for posting!
Hi Bernadette! The shrimp should be added raw.