This Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya recipe is a family favorite! It’s an authentic Louisiana recipe but is secretly so easy to make at home. Full of andouille sausage, seared chicken, the holy trinity, and tons of Cajun and Creole seasoning, it’s the perfect one-pot meal for any weeknight and makes an amazing Mardi Gras recipe.
Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Recipe
Even though I’m a native Texan, Cajun blood runs deep within my veins.
My feet start tapping when a song I know comes on, the dance floor always calls my name, and I am a HUGE fan of Dirty Rice, blackened shrimp, jambalaya, and sausage gumbo.
Every year we visit my Mom’s side of the family who lives outside of New Orleans for Christmas. And every Christmas we “Texas-folk” get to experience authentic Cajun cooking.
My Nanny will order in catering from this incredible restaurant down the street and we will all pig out on crawfish etouffée and chicken and sausage jambalaya.
And that’s exactly how this recipe was created—after decades of tasting what TRUE and AUTHENTIC Cajun jambalaya tastes like, and dozens of rounds of recipe testing.
This is a jambalaya recipe that’s made with a good bit of spice from the andouille sausage and Creole seasoning, has some tomato flavor, and tender grains without being too mushy.
It’s by far the best I’ve found—and yes, even better than Creole Jambalaya from New Orleans’ most famous restaurants!
Table of Contents
What is Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a rice dish with different types of meat, usually lean chicken and smoky sausage, along with veggies and seasoned with Cajun or blackened spices. It is a staple in Creole cooking in Louisiana, specifically in favorite restaurants in the New Orleans area. Different types of jambalaya will have a variety of ingredients, but the result is always a flavorful and spicy rice dish, somewhat reminiscent of Spanish paella.
Ingredients
- Chicken. One pound of skinless chicken thighs are cut into ½-inch cubes. You can sub in boneless skinless chicken breasts if preferred.
- Sausage. Bite-sized pieces of andouille sausage add a spicy kick. You can leave the chicken and sausage out and replace with tofu for a vegetarian option.
- White Rice. Make sure you use a long grain rice that is white and not brown. Brown rice requires more liquid and will not fully cook.
- Holy Trinity. A combination of celery, onion, and green bell pepper are sautéed together to give this jambalaya its base of flavor.
- Seasonings. Fresh garlic, dried basil, thyme, and cayenne pepper make up an authentic Cajun seasoning mix. You’ll also want bay leaves, oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- Broth. Regular sodium chicken broth was tested in this recipe. If you are watching your sodium intake you can use reduced sodium broth and adjust the salt to taste. Stick with vegetable broth for a vegetarian jambalaya.
- Tomatoes. You’ll need a combination of canned diced tomatoes and tomato paste to give additional umami flavor.
How to Make Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.
1. Cook the Sausage
Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Then, carefully place the sausage in the pot in a single layer. A few overlapping is okay, but avoid this as much as possible for a crispy edge.
Cook the sausage for 3 to 4 minutes, just until browned. Flip, and cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon.
2. Cook the Chicken
Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pot. Then, place the cubed chicken in. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes WITHOUT flipping or moving. This gives the chicken a nice sear.
Flip the chicken and continue cooking for a total of 5 to 6 minutes. The chicken needs to be browned on all sides, but it’s okay if it’s not cooked all the way through.
Remove the chicken from the pot to the plate with the sausage.
3. Sauté the Veggies
Place the bell pepper, onion, and celery in the pot and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Sauté for one more minute.
4. Add the Ingredients and Simmer
Pour the broth into the pot, being careful of splashing. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck brown bits or pieces.
Add the white rice, diced tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf. Return the chicken and sausage to the pan. Give everything a good stir.
Turn the heat to high and let everything come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Serve the Jambalaya
Remove the lid from the pot and let the jambalaya rest for another 5 to 10 minutes. Carefully remove the bay leaves and stir the mixture.
Top with some fresh parsley when ready to serve.
FAQs
Both gumbo and jambalaya are Louisiana favorites with very similar flavors and ingredients. However, the main difference is that gumbo is made from a roux and has more of a stew texture while jambalaya is a rice dish, similar to Spanish paella.
While you can freeze jambalaya, note the texture will change upon thawing. Often, the rice will end up mushy while the veggies will get soggy. However, it is definitely safe to freeze it if needed.
While jambalaya isn’t necessarily a low-calorie dish, it’s still relatively healthy because it contains veggies and lean meats. Jambalaya can be quite spicy, depending on the ingredients and spices used.
What to Serve with Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is hearty enough that it can absolutely be a meal on its own. However, if you’d like a few more vegetables, here are some side dish ideas to try.
Keep it easy with Air Fryer Broccoli, Air Fryer Carrots, or Air Fryer Zucchini.
You can also choose a salad, like Massaged Kale Salad with Avocado or Lemon Arugula Salad.
Roasted Cauliflower or an Air Fryer Baked Potato are delicious, too.
More Classic Cajun Recipes
Want a few other easy recipes for Creole food? You might also enjoy these authentic dishes.
- Shrimp Creole
- Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo
- Remoulade Sauce
- Dirty Rice
- Shrimp and Grits
- Blackened Shrimp
- Blackened Salmon
- Blackened Mahi Mahi
- Instant Pot Jambalaya
- Blackened Fish Tacos
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Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
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Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. oil divided
- 12 oz. andouille sausage cut into half-inch slices
- 1 lb. chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 green bell pepper finely diced
- 1 small sweet onion finely diced
- 3 stalks celery finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 ¾ – 2 cups chicken broth regular sodium*
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice rinsed and drained
- 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes regular or fire roasted
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning homemade or store bought
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp. basil dried
- 1 tsp. oregano dried
- 1 ¼ tsp. salt to taste
- ½ tsp. black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the Sausage: Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once heated, add the sausage in as close to single layer as possible. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until browned, flip, and then brown the other side for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove the browned sausage from the pot and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate.2 Tbsp. oil, 12 oz. andouille sausage
- Cook the Chicken: Add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Once heated, carefully add the cubed chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes, undisturbed, in order to get a crusty sear. Flip over and continue cooking for a total of 5-6 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Remove from the pot and let drain on the paper towel-lined plate with the sausage.2 Tbsp. oil, 1 lb. chicken thighs
- Sauté the Veggies: Add the bell pepper, onion, and celery. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic and continue sautéing for another minute.1 green bell pepper, 1 small sweet onion, 3 stalks celery, 4 garlic cloves
- Add the Rice, Seasonings, and Tomato: Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure there are no bits or pieces stuck. Stir in the white rice, diced tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf. Carefully add the chicken and sausage and stir to combine.1 ¾ – 2 cups chicken broth, 1 ½ cups long grain white rice, 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, 2 Tbsp. tomato paste, 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp. basil, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 ¼ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. black pepper
- Bring to Boil then Simmer: Turn the heat to high and bring everything to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 20-25 minutes.
- Serve the Jambalaya: Remove the lid and let rest, uncovered, for another 5-10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves, give everything a good stir, and serve with additional chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy!
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Video
Notes
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- Join the dark side. Chicken thighs are best in this recipe.
- DIY. Make your own homemade Cajun seasoning so you can customize the spice level.
- Leave it alone. Be sure to let the jambalaya rest for 5 to 10 minutes after cooking so the rice can soak up all the extra juices.
- Find it. Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf before serving!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this last night and LOVED it! What is the best way to reheat leftovers?
Yay!! So happy you loved it. For rice, I normally put it back in a skillet with more liquid (water or broth) and reheat it slowly. Microwaving will also work well with this recipe if you put a little extra liquid and cover it with a paper towel.
Another method used a lot in Lousiana is to put the leftovers in a gallon ziplock and get water to a boil and drop the ziplock in. Heats it without destroying it 🙂
Oh that’s great to know!! Thanks for the tip 🙂
Absolutely fantastic! I added shrimp while it simmered to give it more of an Cajun feel. Will make again!
Awesome!! I love the addition of shrimp… definitely gives it a more Cajun feel 🙂
Wouldn’t the chicken be way overcooked if you leave the chicken in the pot while the rice is simmering for 25 minutes? My chicken is hard like a rock. Am I doing this wrong?
I’m so sorry your chicken turned out hard! The chicken should absorb a lot of the liquid while cooking so it is not overcooked/hard. A couple of things I would make sure to do if you try it out again: 1) Err on the side of slightly undercooked chicken at the beginning. 2) If you’re using brown rice instead of white, it takes more liquid to cook. 3) Cut your chicken into slightly bigger cubes. 4) Make sure a lot of the chicken is not stuck to the bottom of the pan while simmering but is pretty evenly dispersed throughout the dish. Please let me know if you have any more questions! I will be making a video for this recipe soon so I will be sure to pay attention to the texture of the chicken and make any alterations to the recipe, as needed!
I made this dish again today and it came out great. Instead of chicken breast, I used chicken thigh and I put the chicken into the pot 10 minutes after I put in the rice to prevent the chicken from being overcooked too much. And I also didn’t cook the vegetables all the way. I like my veggie slightly crunchy and not soggy. Thanks for sharing your recipe. My family loves it. I think your recipe stands out against the competition because the tomato paste adds more flavor to the rice. I can’t tell if the worcestershire sauce makes any difference though. Great dish. Thanks again.
Awesome!! So happy it turned out well for you this time. Chicken thigh will definitely give the dish a lot more flavor, too. Thanks for sharing your alterations to the recipe!
Do I use precooked sausage or fresh?
Hi Jen! I usede pre-cooked sausage, such as Aidell’s Cajun sausage. Thanks for the question!
Í did this dish for lunch today to surprise my wife. She went “deliciosisimo”!
It is a really nice plate, ingridients are not complicated. We will be making this again soon. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Rene! I am so happy your wife enjoyed it 🙂
Used brown rice and chicken suasage to make it a little more healthy and it was absoutely delicious!!
So happy you enjoyed it, Sara!!
Hi!
Thanks so much for posting this recipe. Both husband and I wanted something different and home cooked. Decided on jambalaya and choose this recipe to try over several others because the picture looked so good and the ingredients weren’t overly complicated. It’s delicious! Definitely one to add to our favorite recipe collection. I’m trying to add more veggies to my diet and wondered what kind of beans would you recommend? I bought a can of small red beans from Goya but I’m not sure if their flavor would go well with this.
Thanks!
-Tia
Hi Tia!! I am so happy you and your husband enjoyed it. Another popular “Cajun” dish, and probably my mom’s favorite, is red beans and rice… so I think red beans would go great in the jambalaya! For more veggies, you could also add more bell pepper. Hope this helps. Thanks so much for commenting!
Hi, do I need to use a lid while it’s simmering? Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for your question, Ryan! Yes, you will want to cover the pot with a lid while simmering. I have updated the recipe to include this 🙂
I coarsley chopped squash, zucchini and mushrooms and sautéed them with the peppers and onions. It was so good!
I love how you added extra veggies to up the nutrition in this recipe. Will definitely be trying your alteration soon 🙂
Do you happen to have the nutritional info for a serving size of this? Looking to make this tonight, looks amazing!
Hi Katy! I do not have the nutritional info for this recipe, but if you plug in the ingredients on MyFitnessPal’s recipe calculator you should be able to get the information. I am considering including nutritional info in upcoming recipes. Thanks so much for your comment!
I made this last Sunday for friends and everyone raved about it! I’m making it again tonight for a potluck. Thanks for sharing!
Yay!! So happy you and your friends enjoyed it 🙂 Thanks for your sweet comment!
Where does the Worcestershire sauce come in? It is not in the instructions.
Hi Ellen! It goes in with the tomato paste and seasoning mix. Just updated the recipe to reflect this!
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