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.

A bowl of homemade Jambalaya with chicken and sausage, ready to enjoy.

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 chicken 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.

Two images showing chicken and sausage being sautéed in a pan for an easy Jambalaya recipe.

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.

Onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper being sautéed in a pan.

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.

Two images, one with basil, cajun seasoning, diced tomatoes, salt, and pepper in a pan and then after chicken broth and rice is added.

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.

A pan filled with the best Jambalaya recipe with chicken, sausage, and vegetables.

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.

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Recipe

An easy Jambalaya recipe in a white bowl, ready to serve.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 55 minutes
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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

Sausage: I substitute Polska Kielbasa sausage when cooking for my family, because it’s less spicy for my kids. 
Shrimp: Jumbo, uncooked shrimp could be thrown 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 628kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 45gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 1222mgPotassium: 1103mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 788IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 3mg

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*I originally shared this recipe April 2015. Updated January 2019 and August 2023.

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was fantastic and easy to make. I crave this now. So glad I have left overs to eat. Highly recommend! 6 normal person servings maybe, but 4 good size bowls for as good as it is.
    Will not need to try other recipes now lol.

    Thanks

  2. 5 stars
    I use beef sausage Hungarian kielbasa dark meat chicken and fresh shrimp. It just up the quantities on everything and it was awesome!

  3. 5 stars
    Made this tonight and it was delicious! I used Polska Keilbasa instead of the andouille. Great flavors and loved that it truly was a one pot meal. Will probably add 1/2 cup more stock next time since rice took a bit longer than anticipated.

  4. 5 stars
    I did something wrong so it didn’t turn out very good, but had I done it right I think it would’ve been really tasty, adjust seasoning based on the type of cajun seasoning you use, I needed a bit more

  5. 4 stars
    Mine seemed dry. Cooked according to recipe. Had to add more chicken broth because of rice. Next time I’d reduce amount of rice. Wonderful taste!!

  6. 5 stars
    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!

  7. 5 stars
    Not a fan of green peppers but loved this recipe! I made it early and put in crock pot on low, added some chicken broth so it wouldn’t dry out, and didn’t add the rice. (It was only in there a couple of hours.) About 30 minutes before we ate I added some already cooked shrimp (thawed) to the pot. I cooked the rice in my rice cooker using chicken broth instead of water. It was delicious! Will definitely make again!!

  8. 5 stars
    I love this recipe SO much. Relatively inexpensive, full of veggies, and most importantly, delicious as can be. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve made it. It’s a crowd pleaser and it’s easy for me to make a bunch for myself and freeze portions for later. Thank you for this fave!

  9. 5 stars
    Made this and we loved it. My modifications (selfishly posted so I can refer back. Almond flour instead of all purpose. 1/2 teaspoon monkfruit brown sugar. Used brown rice and added more chicken broth and time to cook. Used spicy chicken sausage but will try spicy Turkey sausage or andouille next time. I used mild Rotel for the diced tomatoes to up the spice. I tripled the Cajun seasoning. I sautéed and added shrimp at the end. I added Cajun seasoning to the shrimp as I prepared it. Added chopped parsley when I added the shrimp. Also added some fresh basil. Doubled the vegetables. I halved the recipe as it’s just my husband and I but this was so good we demolished it. I’m just going to make the full recipe next time so we will have leftovers.

    1. Hey Anna! I’ve found if I remember to soak the brown rice all day, it cooks in the same amount of time as white. Saves time and nothing gets overcooked.

  10. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe, thank you! I changed the sausage for Chorizo and kept the rice separate as my wife likes her rice untainted by flavours (she’s Asian). But the flavour was fine, and your recipe made it easy.

  11. 4 stars
    I LOVE this recipe. Just made it again tonight for dinner. My only issue is that the rice sticks to the bottom of the pan (Le Creuset). Not sure what I am doing wrong. But delish!

  12. 5 stars
    Made this delicious jambalaya today! I used Italian seasoning instead of the basil, increased the Cajun seasoning to about 2 tablespoons, added black pepper, parsley and a dash of hot sauce. Turned out by really well. I will definitely be making this again!

  13. This was scrumptious, I had leftover mushroom risotto and used that as my rice. I used sausage and left over chicken. Thank you for sharing

  14. Good recipe! I left out the green peppers as I have family members that can’t eat them. And I did put in less Cajun seasoning as those same family members can’t tolerate a lot of spice. I used smokie sausages as that was what I had on hand. I really enjoyed it and even the fussy ones gobbled it down. I did find it needed more liquid so I added an extra. 1 and 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Thanks!

  15. 5 stars
    Great recipe . The only thing I do different is cook rice before or use left over cooked rice about 5 minutes before

  16. 4 stars
    It was a little bland for me, so I added a lot more cajun spice, and used chorizo instead of kielbasa. That did the trick! I also used brown sugar instead of regular 🙂 So good!

  17. 5 stars
    Googled and decided upon your recipe. I added shrimp and used diced fresh tomatoes. No other changes. What a simple and GREAT jambalaya!

    1. Yes, use 2 1/2 cups of water for 1 cup of brown rice, and cook for 35 minutes. Allow it to rest, untouched, for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

  18. 5 stars
    We made this tonight for Fat Tuesday 2021!
    Since we are from NM, we added finely chopped fresh green chili, and used bok choy instead of celery since that is what I had in hand. It was wonderful with green onions on top. (Note: we Added at the end of the cooking time a few peeled and cooked shrimp as well).

  19. 5 stars
    Absolutely amazing! Followed the directions exactly and it was delicious. Next time I would add more cajun for a little more heat but otherwise perfection! An hour later and my husband and father in law are still raving lol

  20. 5 stars
    This was a hit! Everyone loved it! I have tried a few different recipes but this is by far the best one. Actually every recipe I have tried from your site has been a hit! Thank you!!!

  21. 4 stars
    I always add chopped green onions to the top as I serve it. Trust me it makes Jambalaya addicting. And the longer you have the leftovers, the hotter Cajun spices get. So if it is too spicy, a dollop of sour cream will cut the heat, but not take away from the flavor. ❤️

  22. 5 stars
    To put it simply…this recipe was gooooood! So easy to make, flavorful and tasty. I might have had more than one helping at dinner of it and it might have even lasted less than 24 hours in our house. Definitely a keeper!

  23. 5 stars
    Yuuummmyyyy! I subbed out turkey sausage for the pork and it was amazing! I did not feel that it was overly spicy (I used a BADIA cajun spice blend). The prep was the thing that took the longest, so plan in advance for the veggie chopping. We will be having this a lot, I imagine!

  24. First time ever making Jambalaya ! This is a very good recipe ! The flavor is amazing ! My picky children loved it. Husband gave me a round of applause! I added a little salt to the food. I used brown rice instead of white. I cook the rice before adding it! Thanks !

  25. 5 stars
    We make this on a regular basis. My husband LOVES it. He requests it because he loves having the leftovers for work. The leftovers are just as good as the night it was made. The best thing is my kids like it too. Five stars for this one at our house. I often use the cajun chicken sausage instead of the andouille sausage. Love it.

  26. 5 stars
    I really didn’t expect the reaction from my whole family after trying this jambalaya! I’m not big on jambalaya and my elderly father won’t eat anything spicy so I had to have a backup meal in case he couldn’t tolerate the heat. My father had 2 helpings saying the flavor was so good he didn’t mind the spice and my entire family has already stated that we can’t wait to have this one again soon! Thank you. It was great to try something new and have such success all around. Everyone enjoyed!

  27. 5 stars
    I love this recipe. Do you have any suggestions with making it with brown rice? I tried it tonight, letting it simmer for 15 extra minutes, but the brown rice was still kind of crunchy. I ended up taking it off the heat because the bottom of the rice was sticking and I didn’t want it to burn.

    1. A secret I’ve learned is use Aldi’s Earthly brand 90 second microwave rice. They have it in Brown, Brown Basmati, Jasmine, Basmati and Wlid Long Grain rice. You don’t microwave it. Just break it up in the bag and throw it in the pan since it is precooked. I use the Jasmine for last minute Fried Rice dishes which calls for day old refrigerated cold rice.

  28. I have made this recipe a few times now due to family requests. It’s delicious and my adult kids fight over who is taking the leftovers for lunch. Easy to make but tastes like a lot more effort went into it. A hit in our household! Thanks for the recipe.

  29. 5 stars
    This recipe has become a family favorite! So easy to prepare and delicious ?
    Last night I doubled the vegetables (I love vegetables) and it was so good.

  30. 5 stars
    I have just made this dish for the first time. It was absolutely delicious and everyone in the family loved it. I’ve never made jambalaya before and one of our sons asked if I would make it and I found this recipe. So glad that I did and thank you very much for sharing it.

  31. 5 stars
    Loved this recipe! Followed it, as is, adding only some red pepper flakes. It was perfect for a cold rainy night!

  32. 5 stars
    This was amazing! My whole family loved it. Including my 2 year old. I made my own canun seasoning from Allrecipes and left out the red pepper flakes, it wasn’t spicy at all! I also used Jasmine rice and turkey sausage.. so so good. Will be one of our staples now!

  33. 5 stars
    I made this tonight for dinner and it was a huge hit! Even my super picky wife had seconds! I used shrimp instead of chicken. I sautéed the shrimp separately from the sausage until they were just a little pink and added them in during the last five minutes of cooking! I wish I could send you a picture! I will definitely be making this again!

  34. 5 stars
    So good. My husband loves it. I used the Cajun Aidel’s chicken sausage instead of the traditional kielbasa to cut the fat and calories. Delicious. My husband said he could eat it every day.

  35. 5 stars
    I have tried 3 of your recipes so far, and they have been a hit in our house! I made this recipe tonight and it was so good and filling. Thank you and thanks for having an alternative from the Instapot recipes. I don’t have one so I was so happy I was able to do this on the stove.

    1. Thanks Amanda! I’m so happy you enjoyed it–and I’m thrilled you’ve been trying some of my recipes–I love to hear that! Thanks for you comment.

  36. 5 stars
    I absolutely love this recipe. It feels like comfort food but a healthier version. I usually use brown rice and add more water. It does have to cook a lot longer with brown rice but is just delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

  37. I made this last night! It turned out yummy. I added some Black Beans and Red Pepper spice as well as Red Pepper flakes. My family loves spicy things and they all had second helpings. Thank you!

  38. I really like this recipe for jambalaya. I made it last night using “Louisiana Fry Fish Products” brand of cajun seasoning. That seasoning is mild to me. But the andouille sausage I used was quite spicy (Coleman’s), so it turned out to be a spicy hot dish. My son and I like the spice but I always try to take it down a notch for my husband.

    Anyway, I’m a fan of how this recipe is relatively simple, yet still tastes like “real” Cajun, and the rice cooked perfectly per the instructions. Thanks. This will be my go-to recipe for jambalaya.

    (Which I always called jUmbalaya until I tried to find the recipe right now and my search didn’t work. Then I had to Google how to spell it. I don’t know how I could go all these years thinking it’s jUmbalaya. I’ve cooked it enough times — seen enough recipes, never registered with me. Duh. )

  39. This is so good & easy to make which is perfect cause I’m a college student and don’t have a lot of cooking time, and now I have tons of leftovers! I accidentally added twice the rice (brown quick-cooking rice) but it still turned out fine!

    1. Also forgot to add that I threw in some frozen corn. I also really like the tomato flavor from the canned tomatoes so I’ll probably add some more next time!

  40. Is this “one pan Jambalaya” spicy? I have never made jambalaya before but I think most kinds are spicy. If it is spicy do you have any advice on how to make it less? My husband and I don’t like spicy food but this looks really good.

    1. Hi Chelsea, this jambalaya is not very spicy at all (my kids love it!) I use “Joe’s Stuff” cajun seasoning, which isn’t spicy–so it may differ depending on what type of cajun seasoning you use, but either way I don’t think it will be too spicy for you. I’d love to hear how you like it!

  41. This was delicious! My family devoured it! To save time, I didn’t add chicken, but will next time. Thank you for sharing.