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This easy Jambalaya recipe is full of bold cajun flavors, and made in just one pan. It's the kind of healthy comfort food I crave, since it's hearty but also loaded with protein, and veggies.
Check out my other favorite cajun and creole inspired dinner recipes, including Gumbo, Cajun Kebabs and Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta.
Why I love this meal:
- One-Pot Meal means minimal mess in the kitchen, and no sacrifice of flavor, for the best sausage jambalaya recipe.
- Easy – it's simple enough for anyone to make. My kids often choose it when it's their turn to cook dinner.
- Adaptable: We like to add jumbo shrimp, or extra diced veggies from the fridge that need to be used. You can use any kind of sausage, or omit the meat and use vegetable broth, to make it vegetarian.
Gumbo vs Jambalaya:
Jambalaya and gumbo are both popular dishes made in Louisiana but the dishes and cooking methods are different. Jambalaya is a rice dish, similar to Paella (in appearance, but not taste), and Gumbo is more of a stew that's often served over rice. Both contain the “holy trinity” of cajun cooking, which is bell peppers, onion and celery. Both also often contain sausage and shrimp.
How to Make Jambalaya:
Brown Meat: Add the chicken to a large pan with a little oil over medium high heat. Cook, flipping once or twice to brown on all sides (don't cook chicken through). Remove to a bowl then add sausage and cook until browned on both sides. Add to the bowl with the chicken.
Sauté Veggies: Reduce heat to medium and add butter and flour to the pan then stir well, scraping up any leftover browned bits from the pan. Add onion, garlic, celery, and bell peppers then sauté for a 3 minutes.
Combine: Add basil, cajun seasoning, diced tomatoes, salt, then pepper. Stir well to combine then add chicken broth and rice. Bring mixture to a gentle boil then add reserved meat to the pan. Reduce heat, cover pan with fitted lid, then cook for 20 minutes.
Serve: Remove from heat and rest with the lid on for 10 minutes. Then gently fluff jambalya rice with a fork and rest again for 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Variations:
- Sausage: Andouille sausage has a little bit of a kick. If you'd like mild sausage, substitute a Polska Kielbasa, or other pork sausage.
- Add Shrimp: Jumbo, uncooked shrimp could be added in the same time as the rice and cooked with everything together. Or you could cook the shrimp separately (or thaw frozen cooked shrimp) and add it at the end.
- Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe.
One Pan Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon oil, (vegetable or canola oil)
- 1 pound andouille sausage*, , cut into ¼ inch thick slices
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, , cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow or white onion, , chopped
- 4 green onions, , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, , finely minced
- 3 ribs celery, , chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional, add more for spice, if desired.
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cup long-grain white rice
Instructions
- In a large skillet with a fitted lid, add the oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add the chicken and cook, flipping once or twice to brown on all sides (don't cook chicken through). Remove to a bowl. Add sausage and cook until browned on both sides. Add to the bowl with the chicken.
- Reduce heat to medium and add butter and flour to the pan and stir well, scraping up any leftover browned bits from the pan. Add onion, garlic, celery, and bell peppers and sauté for a 3 minutes.
- Add basil, cajun seasoning, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper and stir well to combine. Add chicken broth and rice bring mixture to a gentle boil. Add reserved meat to the pan. Reduce heat, cover pan with fitted lid and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat, and rest with the lid on for 10 minutes. Then gently fluff with a fork and rest again for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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*I originally shared this recipe April 2015. Updated January 2019 and August 2023.
This is my GO TO recipe! I’ve been making it every month or two for a long time. I’ve made it with shrimp, different kinds of sausage, just chicken, or all of it and always do the cayenne pepper and it turns out perfect every time. It makes enough for plenty of leftovers (great healthy meal prep option!), and everybody who has tried it has loved it. This recipe is a winner!
I made this recipe last night for company and it was absolutely fantastic! I skipped the flour to make it gluten free and added shrimp because I like my jambalaya with a little seafood. Will definitely make this again! Thank you
I’ve made this recipe three times now. A little bit of prep is involved with all the chopping but the results are amazing! Makes enough for leftovers too!
The flavours are nice but it turned out mushy. I would definitely recommend cooking the rice separately and saving yourself the risk of having a pot of something you don’t love.
Made tonight – delicious! Added some Crystal hot sauce because we love the taste and subtle heat, and served with garlic bread and salad.
Just made this last night, and we loved it! Thank you for helping to make Cajun cooking so accessible!
I adapted the ingredients using Jasmine rice, Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, and Zatarain’s Cajun Style Smoked Sausage, plus a half pound of peeled and cooked shrimp which I added at the end. I also boiled my chicken breast for a bit to help thaw it, as it was frozen. I left the insides raw and once the breast and half breast were separated, I cut it up and started following this recipe.
This recipe made a massive amount of food for just two adults, so I will definitely use it again for dinner guests, and we are excited for round two of leftovers this evening! I would also like to use okra, next time.
Are the calories on a per serving basis or for the whole pan?
This recipe is good for the flavor, but I would highly recommend cooking the rice separately in an instant pot or use instant rice. I had to had more liquid and cook twice as long and the rice was still under done.
I made this last night, I did not have chicken but added shrimp and some hot peppers. It was absolutely delicious, and the ingredients and ratio in this recipe was perfect and easy to follow. This is bookmarked and added to our rotation! Thank you so much
This recipe is awesome! I didn’t have basil so I used Italian seasoning. I also used boneless chicken thighs, and added a can of black beans. Served it with cornbread muffins. Tastes even better day 2, even cold! Thank you so much!