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5 Comments Having just returned from New Orleans and Texas, a few dishes from the region are a must. Starting with this tasty and simple jambalaya recipe. It’s the perfect comfort food and the creole seasoning really makes this dish so good! It’s a pretty easy jambalaya recipe.
Table of contents
Jambalaya recipe
Jambalaya is typically one of those dishes you cannot avoid when you are in New Orleans. It is literally served in every restaurant, and each gives it a slightly different twist. The origins of this dish are, funnily enough, in Spanish cuisine. It is derived from paella and Creole cuisine has given it a local twist. (Source)
Officially, this dish should be made with spicy andouille sausage, but it is not readily available here, so I used smoked sausage instead. Andouille is a French sausage, so this dish is really a mixture of Spanish and French cuisine. Chorizo is also a good substitute for the sausage but pork sausages would work as well.
What goes into jambalaya?
To make jambalaya, you can make your own spice mix. It is not complicated and will mostly consist of spices you already have in your kitchen. If not, there is nothing wrong with using a ready-made Cajun spice mix. There are many good ones on the market. If you want to make your own, you can find the recipe on the recipe card. You won’t need the entire amount for this recipe, but the seasoning will keep well in a sealed container.
What else you need:
- chicken – you can use skinless chicken thighs or skinless chicken fillet
- smoked sausage – this can easily be replaced with chorizo. In this case, dice the chorizo and fry in a dry frying pan
- Rice – I went with white rice but you can use brown rice.
- Bell Pepper – I used green bell pepper, red bell pepper and a yellow bell pepper
- Jalapeno – do you want it extra hot? Leave the seeds in.
- Crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce – can be substituted with extra stock and tomato paste if necessary
- Cajun spices – see above
- Stock – I used chicken broth
- Onion
- Fresh garlic
- Celery
- Olive oil
- Salt and black pepper
- For serving: green onions
In addition to the ingredients you need a large pot (a large Dutch oven is ideal) for preparing this great recipe. It’s a pretty versatile dish and it’s easy to add ingredients to it if you want.
One pot dish
Like rice and beans, this is an ideal one-pot dish. It takes a little time to chop all the vegetables and about 20-25 minutes for the uncooked rice. Remember that the normal cooking time for rice is extended in this jambalaya. You don’t cook the rice in water, so it takes a little longer. I had perfect rice after 20 minutes, but of course it depends on the rice you use. It’s essentially a rice dish so while it’s definitely not the only ingredient it is a vital part of the dish. You definitely don’t want mushy rice.
The amount of rice you use is less than you would normally calculate for 4 people, but that has everything to do with the rest of the ingredients. I think 150g of rice for 4 people is more than enough for this dish. Combined with the sausage and chicken, it still makes a large pan.
Halfway through the cooking time, check that the rice is not dry and add a little more liquid if necessary.
Questions asked about jambalaya
The biggest difference between the two types of jambalaya is the use of tomatoes. In a creole version (a New Orleans version) there are tomatoes in the recipe. That could be crushed tomatoes, fresh tomatoes or tomato paste. It’s also called a red jambalaya. In a cajun version there are no tomatoes and this is often referred to as a brown jambalaya. The vegetables are browned longer making the dish look brown due to the browned bits.
In classic Louisiana cooking the holy trinity refers to onion, celery and bell pepper.
You would need the following base ingredients: at least paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, oregano, garlic, salt. You can use both smoked paprika or regular.
You can if you want to. Shrimp cook quickly so make sure to add those at the last minute to prevent overcooking
Jambalaya with chicken
Ingredients
- 300 gr chicken fillet cut into cubes
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 stalks celery cut into pieces
- 3 bell peppers red, yellow and green, chopped
- 1 jalapeno seeds removed, chopped
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 400 gr
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 150 gr rice
- 250 gr smoked sausage diced
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp seasalt
- 3 spring onions sliced in small rings, for serving
Cajun seasoning
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp oregano dried
- 1 tbsp thyme dried
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
How to make the jambalaya
- First make the spice mix and set it aside. You don’t need all the spices for this recipe.1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1 tbsp oregano, 1 tbsp thyme, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper
- Take a large Dutch oven and heat the oil in it. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with some of the spice mix, salt and pepper and fry the chicken until brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.300 gr chicken fillet
- Fry the bell pepper, jalapeno, celery, onion and garlic in the pan. Now add the chicken stock, 1 tablespoon of the spice mix, the diced tomatoes and the rice. Stir well with a ladle. Bring to the boil and leave the rice to cook on a low heat with the lid on the pan. This will take about 25-30 minutes, but check to see when the rice has become tender.1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 3 stalks celery, 3 bell peppers, 1 jalapeno, 1 can crushed tomatoes, 1 litre chicken stock, 150 gr rice
- Just before the end of the cooking time, add the chicken to heat through and the smoked sausage cubes. Taste and see if you need to add salt, pepper or additional spices.250 gr smoked sausage, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp seasalt
- Serve the jambalaya with spring onions and fresh parsley.2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, 3 spring onions
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
Flavors of the Southern cuisine in an easy and delicious dish!
That looks so delicious! A great combination of flavours and ingredients.
Cheers,
Rosa
It is..
We never really cook any cajun dishes but I think this would be a good place to start! Sounds like my kinda food!
It’s real comfort food and all about the flavors (and getting them right). You’ll like it.