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Hailing from Louisiana, this chicken and sausage jambalaya is a classic Creole rice dish that features a fragrant medley of spices, vegetables, and smoky andouille sausage and tender chicken. Bring the taste of New Orleans to your table with this easy one-pot jambalaya!
When you think of Louisiana, you most notably think of jambalaya, gumbo, and beignets. This chicken and sausage jambalaya is a one-pot meal of the classic Creole rice dish that encapsulates the heart of Creole cuisine.
A fragrant medley of spices like smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, basil, thyme, and cayenne flavors the dish along with smoky andouille sausage and tender chicken. Rice is then added and simmers in a rich tomato-based sauce, absorbing all the robust flavors. This is one easy jambalaya recipe that will stick to your ribs and warm you with that Creole love. It’s a family favorite, for sure!
Ingredients for Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
- Andouille smoked sausage – you’ll want to look for the cooked sausage where you can slice them into rounds.
- Chicken thighs – boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into pieces make this dish extra flavorful and the chicken stays nice and juicy. If you prefer white meat, boneless skinless chicken breasts work in this as well.
- Holy trinity – in the South, they call a mixture of green bell peppers, onion, and celery the holy trinity. I’m
- Garlic
- Crushed tomatoes
- Smoked paprika
- Ground cumin
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Dried thyme
- Cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper
- Uncooked white rice – you’ll want to use a long or short grain and not a quick cooking rice like Minute Rice. I used long grain rice.
- Chicken stock or chicken broth – make your own or use store-bought!
- Shrimp – this is optional, but I added shrimp in mine because most jambalaya have shrimp and it’s a great way to bulk up the protein in the dish by having chicken and sausage plus shrimp!
How to Make Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Step by Step
- Cook the meats. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large dutch oven. Add the sliced sausage and chicken and cook until lightly seared and browned.
- Add the vegetables. Add the onion, bell peppers, and celery and cook until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the seasonings. Add the tomatoes, paprika, salt, cumin, oregano, basil, thyme, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir well.
- Add the rice and liquid. Stir in the white rice and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. then reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and allow to simmer until the rice is just cooked, stirring every few minutes.
- Add the shrimp (optional). If you’re using shrimp, stir in the shrimp, cover again, and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through.
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Variations
- Use Cajun seasoning. To make it easy, if you have Cajun seasoning on hand, you may use that in replacement of the seasonings in the recipe. Use 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning and omit paprika, cumin, oregano, basil, thyme, and cayenne.
- Switch up the protein. Traditionally jambalaya is made with game meats. If you don’t want to use chicken, sausage, and shrimp in this, you may feel free to use one or the other. I personally think that keeping the sausage in would give the dish best flavor.
- Add vegetables. The holy trinity is used here already but okra is a popular vegetable in the South. Traditionally used in a gumbo, okra could work well in jambalaya too.
- Combine a recipe. Ever made stuffed peppers before? Instead of the filling in the stuffed peppers, stuff this chicken and sausage jambalaya into the peppers!
FAQs
The short answer to this is: tomatoes.
The long answer and a mini history lesson: Cajun cooking origins are from the rural Acadiana region of Louisiana and the French Acadian settlers. They used ingredients that they had access to on the lands. Creole cooking is an extension of Cajun cooking and more associated with New Orleans. Creole cooking tend to be more layered, often with sauces (like tomato-base) and roux.
Yes, you can definitely use kielbasa instead of andouille. It will yield a slightly different flavor but very similar.
Yes! You will need to use more broth (or you could add some water). Usually you will use about 3 cups of liquid for 1 cup of brown rice. You will also need to increase the cooking time to about 45 minutes or when the rice is tender.
Storage Instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, add a little liquid to the container and reheat in the microwave or pour out the contents of the container into a pot on the stovetop with some liquid and heat through.
Serving Suggestions
Serve jambalaya with cornbread, a creamy potato salad, macaroni and cheese, or okra and black eyed peas! If you’re in the mood, wash it all down with a bloody mary (or this non-alcoholic version).
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 8 ounces (227 g) andouille sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices
- 1 pound (454 g) boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeds removed, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed, diced
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 ounce (397 g) can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup (185 g) uncooked white rice, long or short grain, not quick cooking rice
- 2 cups (473 ml) chicken broth
- 1 pound (454 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Add the sliced sausage and chicken meat to the dutch oven and fry until lightly seared, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, bell peppers, and celery and cook until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, paprika, salt, cumin, oregano, basil, thyme, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir well.
- Stir in the white rice and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and allow to simmer until the rice is just cooked (about 20 minutes), stirring every few minutes.
- Stir in the shrimp (if using), cover again, and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through.
This is a GREAT recipe ! Easy to make and amazing flavor. . Q: can you freeze this?
Hi Beth! Thanks for the review and rating! Yes, you can freeze this. You may have to use a little liquid to loosen things up a bit after it defrosts. I would defrost directly on the stovetop covered on medium heat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon or spatula as it warms up, stirring often.
Loved every bite of this and loved making it with chicken instead of my usual ham.
There is so much flavor in this dish, my whole family was so impressed. Great recipe!!
Jambalaya is my go-to order at our favorite take-out restaurant and I have to say this recipe is even better. Worth every step and now we can make this every time the craving strikes.
This recipe was so easy to follow and the chicken turned out super flavorful and perfectly cooked. I loved the sausage addition as well.