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Cajun Chicken Jambalaya Recipe

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The jambalaya is African, French, Spanish and Southern at the same time. That’s what creole cuisine is all about! What started as a humble one-pot dish designed to feed a crowd is now an astounding ambassador for the type of food.

There’s lots of tradition behind a pot of jambalaya, and it’s easy to see why the dish has an immense fan base — it has it all, from chicken, seafood and sausages to veggies, all tossed with steamy rice. Beautiful, utterly satisfying and tasty, the jambalaya is a charmer.

The famous dish has a reputation of being fairly difficult to make; it’s quite the opposite; it’s easy, especially if using precooked rice. The rest is just cooking all the elements in the correct order — the result, though, really tastes like something that took a lot of time and effort to cook!

What goes into a Cajun chicken jambalaya?

Chicken might be the most crucial ingredient in this jambalaya — after all, we’re using chicken thighs and chicken stock. Still, you can also add andouille sausages and shrimp to make this rice dish a crowd-pleasing meal.

It all starts with garlic and the holy trinity of Cajun and Creole cuisines: onion (or shallots), bell peppers and celery. We’re also using precooked white rice and parsley as a garnish.

And before you say anything, let me tell you that this is a tried and tested recipe designed to keep things simple. You can add a ton of herbs and spices along with other ingredients to make your jambalaya as complex as you want!

You’ll find in the recipe below quite a challenge, but a rewarding one for sure. You never forget your first pot of jambalaya.

How to Make It

  • Prep Time15 min
  • Cook Time45 min
  • Total Time1 hr
  • Serving Size6
  • Energy485 cal

Ingredients

Directions

1

In a large skillet, cook the sausage links in bite-sized slices until brown and crispy. Set aside.

2

In the same skillet, sear the chicken until golden. Set aside.

3

Using the same skillet and the leftover sausage fat, sauté the garlic cloves. Add a tablespoon of cooking oil if needed.

4

Once the garlic is golden, add the green bell pepper, onion and celery. Sauté until soft and fragrant.

5

Add the chicken stock and stir in cook the rice. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the rice is cooked and the water has mostly evaporated.

6

Add the shrimp and stir.

7

Add the sausage and chicken and incorporate gently.

8

Serve, drizzle with olive oil and top with chopped parsley.

  • Nutrition Facts

  • Serving Size6
  • Amount per serving
  • Calories485
  • % Daily Value*Standard DV
  • Total Fat22.6 g78 g28.97%
  • Saturated Fat6 g20 g30%
  • Cholesterol222 mg300 mg74%
  • Sodium626 mg2300 mg27.22%
  • Total Carbohydrate11.1 g275 g4.04%
  • Dietary Fiber0.9 g28 g3.21%
  • Total Sugars1.4 g
  • Protein56.3 g50 g112.6%
  • Calcium81 mg1300 mg6.23%
  • Iron3 mg18 mg16.67%
  • Potassium578 mg4700 mg12.3%

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