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Hands-down the best jambalaya recipe! It is surprisingly easy to make, customizable with your favorite proteins (I used chicken, shrimp and Andouille sausage), and full of bold, zesty, Cajun jambalaya flavors that everyone will love.
I thought it was time we revisit an old favorite recipe of mine here on the blog today, which I love all the more because it always reminds me of two of my favorite people — John and Cate’s famous jambalaya recipe! ♡
John and Cate were two of the very first neighbors I met when I moved to downtown Kansas City five years ago. When I arrived in the neighborhood, I didn’t know a soul around. But a cute new coffee shop serendipitously also happened to be opening next door that very week. And as I began to stop by morning after morning to order my favorite iced pour-over, I noticed that another couple was doing the same. Eventually we all introduced ourselves, and one of my favorite friendships was born.
For years, the three of us crossed paths at the coffee shop nearly every morning — giving each other groggy pre-caffeinated hugs, catching up on the past day’s events, ruffling the heads of one another’s pups, talkin’ shop about all things small business, and finally settling in at nearby tables with our laptops to work for a few hours. Then morning hangs eventually extended to evenings, swinging by one another’s places for impromptu happy hours and dinners, sneaking up to the rooftops to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July, or rallying all of our neighbors together each Tuesday for our beloved “neighbor nights” dinners.
In a heartbeat, these two moved from being neighbors, to what we called “freighbors”, to what we now consider “framily.” And I miss them and our Tuesday nights something fierce now, being 4800 miles across the ocean.
But whenever I pull out the ingredients to whip up a batch of their famous homemade jambalaya recipe, I’m instantly transported back to their old loft, and those impromptu, hilarious, always-longer-than-planned hours we used to spend cooking up a storm together in the kitchen. And the jambalaya simmering on the stove, wine glasses being refilled left and right, random neighbors showing up when they heard we were cooking. And those easy, good, long nights shared around the table together as our little neighborhood family.
As Julia Child once said, “People who love to eat are always the best people.” And John and Cate are certainly two of my best.
So is their jambalaya. ♡
Easy Jambalaya Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Jambalaya Ingredients:
Alright, let’s talk ingredients. To make classic jambalaya, you will need:
The Cajun/Creole “holy trinity”: Celery, onion and green bell pepper (although for some extra color, I’ve also used red and yellow bell peppers).
Jalapeño and cayenne: For heat. Feel free to add more or less of either, depending on your heat preferences.
Garlic, Creole or Cajun seasoning, bay leaf, thyme: Some of my favorite seasonings.
Chicken, shrimp and Andouille sausage: Or whatever proteins you prefer. Feel free to choose one or two, or you can use all three like I do.
Chicken stock: If the rice needs more liquid as it cooks, feel free to add in more.
Crushed tomatoes: For flavor.
White rice: Long grain is traditional, but short grain white rice also works.
Okra: Fresh or frozen; we will use this to help thicken the jambalaya.
Salt and Black Pepper: Very important! Don’t forget to taste and season with salt and pepper to taste at the end.
Also, feel free to garnish with whatever you prefer! I like to use sliced green onions and a hint of chopped fresh parsley and lemon wedges.
How To Make Jambalaya:
Heads up! I’ve edited this method a bit since I first posted this recipe back in 2014. The ingredients are all the same — I just changed the order of things slightly.
Next, let’s talk about how to make jambalaya. Simply…
Sauté the chicken and sausage. Sauté until the chicken is cooked through and the sausage is lightly browned. Then transfer to a clean plate and set aside.
Sauté the veggies. Sauté the onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapeño and garlic until soft.
Add rice, liquids and seasonings. Add in the uncooked rice, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, Cajun/Creole seasoning, thyme, cayenne and bay leaf. Give everything a good stir.
Cover and cook. Then cook for 25-30 minutes, being sure to stir the mixture every 5 minutes or so (to prevent burning) until the rice is nearly tender.
Add the okra and shrimp. And cook for a final 5 minutes or so, until the shrimp is pink and opaque. Add the chicken and sausage back in.
Taste and season. Season the jambalaya with salt and pepper (and extra Cajun/Creole seasoning, if needed) to taste.
Serve warm. Garnished with your desired toppings!
Options To Customize Your Jambalaya Recipe:
Want to mix things up? Feel free to:
Add more/less heat: If you’d like a milder jambalaya, I’d recommend nixing the jalapeño and just stirring in some cayenne at the end if you’d like. For a spicier jambalaya, use two jalapeños. And then you can always add more cayenne at the end if you’d like.
Pick your protein: Chicken, shrimp and Andouille sausage are all traditional options for jambalaya. But feel free to choose just one, two or use all three, depending on what proteins you like. Other options could include other kinds of seafood (i.e. cod, mussels, clams, crawfish, etc.), pork or firm tofu.
Make it vegetarian: Wanting to avoid the meat? No prob! I also love making a vegetarian version of this with veggie stock and lots of hearty veggies (such as carrots, squash, mushrooms, broccoli, etc). Some veggies can withstand the long cooking time with the rice. But if you use some softer veggies, feel free to set them aside after sautéing at the beginning, and then add them back in at the very end.
Use file powder: Not into okra? Feel free to sub in 1.5 teaspoons file powder instead.
What To Serve With Jambalaya:
Since this dish is already incredibly hearty, I would recommend serving it with anything light and fresh, such as:
Hands-down the best jambalaya recipe! It is surprisingly easy to make, customizable with your favorite proteins (I used chicken, shrimp and Andouille sausage), and full of bold, zesty, Cajun flavors that everyone will love.
Ingredients
Scale
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 pound andouille sausage, thinly sliced into rounds
3 small bell peppers, cored and diced (I used a yellow, red and green bell pepper)
optional garnishes: chopped fresh parsley, thinly-sliced green onions, hot sauce
Instructions
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a stock pot (or a very large, deep sauté pan) over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sausage and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sausage is lightly browned. Transfer to a clean plate and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the stock pot. Add bell peppers, celery, jalapeño, onion and garlic. Sauté for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened.
Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, rice, Cajun seasoning, thyme, cayenne, bay leaf, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is nearly cooked through, stirring every 5 minutes or so along the way so that the rice does not burn.
Add the shrimp, okra, and stir to combine. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through and pink. Stir in the chicken and sausage, and remove and discard the bay leaf.
Taste season the jambalaya with salt, pepper, and additional Cajun seasoning if needed. (I typically add about 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.) Remove from heat.
Serve warm with your desired garnishes. Or refrigerate and store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Notes
*Feel free to use fresh or frozen okra. If using frozen, make sure to thaw it before adding to the jambalaya.
If you like spicy jambalaya, I would recommend adding in 2 jalapeños. If you would like it more mild, you can omit the jalapeño altogether.
This recipe was edited slightly in August 2018 — just the order of the steps, not the ingredients.
This is super yummy and my grandkids love it. I’m glad that in your pictures you show the shrimp with the tail removed. Nobody needs the tails on in a stew like this. The only change I make to this is to omit the green pepper, I just don’t like em! Red peppers are good to me though (and there is a difference in flavor).
Sometimes here in Utah okra can be hard to find, and forget about finding file powder. So we just do without when we can’t find it.
One time I was low on rice so we used pasta, I think it was bowties. That was pretty dang good too.
I first saw this recipe on Pinterest several years ago. It’s been a family favorite since and a crowd pleaser. We’re having it tonight with fresh corn on the cob. 😋
We spent four days in New Orleans last week.
I came back and wanted to cook something Cajun.
This recipe was fantastic. We both agree that it was better than anything that we ate in New Orleans 😂.
Thank you…just joined your mailing list to check out your other recipes.
I made my Holy Trinity separately, BBQ’d the shrimp and sausage (marinated the shrimp in cajun seasoning. Then I made the rice with hand crushed tomatoes and homemade chicken broth but kept to 1.5 to 1 ratio, liquid to rice. simmered then steamed, NO STIRRING!
added the veggies and proteins after the rice was properly cooked. It needed an extra cup of rice so I forked some holes in the top and poured hot broth over it. came out perfect and I used Basmati which can get mushy if wrong ratio of liquid. Came out great. Crystal hot sauce and some chipotle in sauce. Mexican, Indian, Cajun fusion I guess :)))
I love this recipe. I’ve made it every other month or so, and the only changes I make are passing up the okra, and substituting more readily available (Chicago area) Polish sausage for the Andouille. (Jambalayski?)
I’ve made it when my son’s family visited from Des Moines, and he uses this recipe regularly too.
Thank you, Ali!
I made it when I didnt have some ingrediants on hand like celery, fresh garlic, bayleaf and shrimp. Kids and husband thinks its fantastic. I am saving this recipe and will try others by this blogger.
Great recipe however, we’ve made Jambalaya twice with rice and the rice never cooks completely. What’s the trick to making sure the rice cooks thoroughly?
Excellent recipe. Used beef kielbasa and precooked shrimp. Cut the rice back to 1 cup since i didnt need the quantity called for in the recipe. Adjusted the stock as well. My husband said this is one to repeat.
I love this recipe!! We’ve been making a similar recipe for jambalaya since the 80s, but I used this recipe today. The fresh cajun seasoning I bought today made a difference. Wow, thanks!
It really is the best recipe I’ve found. It’s perfect. I think it’s all those peppers and celery. I didn’t have any jalapeños, but it doesn’t need it . The cayenne gave it some nice heat. I used a large can of crushed tomatoes just because I didn’t want to waste half the can, and it still came out thick.
Great recipe! I used one 8 oz packet of Aviate Lupini Rice in place of the white rice to cut down on carbs. The Lupini rice cooked perfectly according to your instructions and was a big hit. No one knew it wasn’t white rice🤫😂
This was SO good. Followed directions except added a bit more chicken broth. It was insanely good – maybe the best thing I’ve cooked. I live in Seattle and don’t get jambalaya often, but this brought me right back to trips to New Orleans. Soooo good.
Outstanding. Plenty of heat with one jalapeno with 1/2 seeds removed. Followed the recipe almost exact with substitution of light brown rice which came out a little al dente (perfect for us) and chicken thighs for breasts. And didn’t need any extra salt, pepper or Creole seasoning at the end.
This was really really delicious. My husband and I LOVE spicy food, and this had plenty of kick for us without adding any extra jalapeño. Perfect, quick recipe!
Love this recipe! It’s very flexible. I’ve made it several times for my family. I also made it for two office parties (double batch each time) and received several compliments. I add a little extra garlic and use slightly less broth to prevent the rice from getting mushy, and I omit the celery due to personal preferences. I omit the okra when making it at work for my northern colleagues who probably love okra but just don’t know it yet ;-) I also omit the cayenne and jalapeno pepper; Tony Cachere’s cajun seasoning and the andoille sausage seems to make it plenty spicy enough for my spice-averse kids and for a mixed-tastes work crowd. Thanks so much for a consistently popular recipe!
I made this exactly as the recipe is posted, and tripled it. It’s amazing! However, tripling should have made the recipe for up to 24 people, but I bet I’ll be able to feed more that! Looking forward to sharing it with our friends for Fat Tuesday!
I love reading recipe comments… added 1 wild goose embryo 3 dragons toe nails, my Japanese second aunt once removed said that jambalaya should be cooked inside of a cast iron bell found in the indian Ocean so of course I did that. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly!! It was a little salty so next time I’ll add 1 teaspoon less chicken stock!! Great recipe thanks for spending all that time writing it for me to follow almost exactly!
I replaced the shrimp with bacon. Pretty good. I might go a little heavier on the spices next time. I also ate a second serving and hated myself for it. Definitely recommend.
This is the BEST JAMBALAYA RECIPE EVER. It’s so delicious, it tastes as if I put butter in it but I didn’t. I did a few things different. The chicken was grilled, instead of Okra I used zucchini (I just don’t care for okra) and I added a Tablespoon of Apple cider.
So delicious and will be so welcomed after tomorrow’s a rainy cold day. I would serve this for company it’s that good. Definitely a keeper!
This turned out amazing! Thank you! I kicked it up with extra heat and topped it with class in the shell both for taste and they made it look a step above!
I just want to thank you so much for this recipe. It was really ground breaking for me and let me create this beautiful dish for my family, friends and guests at our Bed & Breakfast. https://www.starlingsandroses.ca/post/not-your-average-jambalaya
Excellent – I don’t particularly like cooking, but this recipe is easy, flexible, and hearty enough to get me through a Canadian winter. I like to make one big batch and freeze the leftovers.
Wow. This recipe is one of the best things we’ve ever eaten!! It is soooo good. Everybody who ate some couldn’t get over the deliciousness. One thing to be aware of is that it took 2 of us ALMOST AN HOUR to prep everything, including the meat and vegetables. But it was worth every minute and we’ll do it again!
We used the “Slap Ya Mama” (low sodium blend) Cajun seasoning in addition to the thyme and bay leaf. Did not add more cayenne because it was in the Slap Ya Mama seasoning.
Good recipe. I was missing green pepper and used prawns instead o’ shrimp, chorizo for the sausage and basmati rice. It was a foolish rice choice on my part and sucked the moisture out of the sauce – which was lucky as i didn’t have any okra to thicken it. Tasted good though and m’ boy loved it. (I leaned heavier on the spices and used a birdseye chili too…)
Will definitely cook it again, but with the proper ingredients.
Adding to my regular favorites!! So simple and supremely flavorful!! Such a fun flavor blend and easy to kick it down a couple notches for my kiddos to enjoy too. I omit the jalapeños cause we’ve never liked them but follow the rest to a T. Excellent recipe.
Have made this several times and absolutely love it! I’ve made a few adjustments. Use two andouille sausages, two cayenne peppers, 3 chicken breasts and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cayenne. My friend love the heat. Also, I hold out the garlic until after the other veggies are sautéed, then add the spices, garlic and rice. Magnifico!!
I have a pot going right now, tastes better than the usual that I make! I used an habanero instead of jalapeno. Pretty sure this will be my new jamba recipe.
Mucho bien recipe! Skipped on the okra but all else was spot on!
Thanks!
This is super yummy and my grandkids love it. I’m glad that in your pictures you show the shrimp with the tail removed. Nobody needs the tails on in a stew like this. The only change I make to this is to omit the green pepper, I just don’t like em! Red peppers are good to me though (and there is a difference in flavor).
Sometimes here in Utah okra can be hard to find, and forget about finding file powder. So we just do without when we can’t find it.
One time I was low on rice so we used pasta, I think it was bowties. That was pretty dang good too.
I first saw this recipe on Pinterest several years ago. It’s been a family favorite since and a crowd pleaser. We’re having it tonight with fresh corn on the cob. 😋
We spent four days in New Orleans last week.
I came back and wanted to cook something Cajun.
This recipe was fantastic. We both agree that it was better than anything that we ate in New Orleans 😂.
Thank you…just joined your mailing list to check out your other recipes.
I made my Holy Trinity separately, BBQ’d the shrimp and sausage (marinated the shrimp in cajun seasoning. Then I made the rice with hand crushed tomatoes and homemade chicken broth but kept to 1.5 to 1 ratio, liquid to rice. simmered then steamed, NO STIRRING!
added the veggies and proteins after the rice was properly cooked. It needed an extra cup of rice so I forked some holes in the top and poured hot broth over it. came out perfect and I used Basmati which can get mushy if wrong ratio of liquid. Came out great. Crystal hot sauce and some chipotle in sauce. Mexican, Indian, Cajun fusion I guess :)))
I love this recipe. I’ve made it every other month or so, and the only changes I make are passing up the okra, and substituting more readily available (Chicago area) Polish sausage for the Andouille. (Jambalayski?)
I’ve made it when my son’s family visited from Des Moines, and he uses this recipe regularly too.
Thank you, Ali!
What is file powder as I can’t stand Okra.
Love this recipe and make it regularly. Tweak it with what’s to hand but chicken, prawns and chorizo always
Delicious!! This recipe is a keeper. Any thoughts on simmering the shrimp shells in chicken broth before adding? And on freezing?
Has anyone tried this in a crockpot?
Awesome, the best! I’m not a big fan of ocra and I like the shrimp, chicken and Andouille sausage this recipe was perfect! Thanks.
This was delicious!
I made it when I didnt have some ingrediants on hand like celery, fresh garlic, bayleaf and shrimp. Kids and husband thinks its fantastic. I am saving this recipe and will try others by this blogger.
Great recipe however, we’ve made Jambalaya twice with rice and the rice never cooks completely. What’s the trick to making sure the rice cooks thoroughly?
Made this tonight with some tweaks based on what I had on hand, but in general this recipe worked well. Good one pot meal!
Excellent recipe. Used beef kielbasa and precooked shrimp. Cut the rice back to 1 cup since i didnt need the quantity called for in the recipe. Adjusted the stock as well. My husband said this is one to repeat.
I love this recipe!! We’ve been making a similar recipe for jambalaya since the 80s, but I used this recipe today. The fresh cajun seasoning I bought today made a difference. Wow, thanks!
Used my homemade smoked Andouille and frozen Shrimp, used a can of diced maters with green chilies.
OMG!
This is the taste I have missed since I was in the southern US when in the ARMY.
Thank you!!
It really is the best recipe I’ve found. It’s perfect. I think it’s all those peppers and celery. I didn’t have any jalapeños, but it doesn’t need it . The cayenne gave it some nice heat. I used a large can of crushed tomatoes just because I didn’t want to waste half the can, and it still came out thick.
I did not have any celery. So I substituted carrot shavings. I will make again. It was a winner!
This is the best jambalaya recipe I’ve ever used. I’ve made it several times since I found it 5 years ago. Thank you!
I’ve been making this jambalaya recipe for years and love it. Only thing I change is that I leave out the okra.
Huge success at work. Perfect amount of heat. Pan was completely empty in 2 hours.
Great recipe! I used one 8 oz packet of Aviate Lupini Rice in place of the white rice to cut down on carbs. The Lupini rice cooked perfectly according to your instructions and was a big hit. No one knew it wasn’t white rice🤫😂
This was SO good. Followed directions except added a bit more chicken broth. It was insanely good – maybe the best thing I’ve cooked. I live in Seattle and don’t get jambalaya often, but this brought me right back to trips to New Orleans. Soooo good.
Love the recipe! I skip the okra, but everything else as written.
Was really delicious just switched zucchini for okra
Excellent Jambalaya recipe. I used the two jalapeno version and a little extra chicken broth. Loved it. Makes a LOT. freezing some for later.
Outstanding. Plenty of heat with one jalapeno with 1/2 seeds removed. Followed the recipe almost exact with substitution of light brown rice which came out a little al dente (perfect for us) and chicken thighs for breasts. And didn’t need any extra salt, pepper or Creole seasoning at the end.
This was really really delicious. My husband and I LOVE spicy food, and this had plenty of kick for us without adding any extra jalapeño. Perfect, quick recipe!
Inwould
Like to make this for 60 people. Thinking about baking the rice broth veggie mixture. Any help?
Love this recipe! It’s very flexible. I’ve made it several times for my family. I also made it for two office parties (double batch each time) and received several compliments. I add a little extra garlic and use slightly less broth to prevent the rice from getting mushy, and I omit the celery due to personal preferences. I omit the okra when making it at work for my northern colleagues who probably love okra but just don’t know it yet ;-) I also omit the cayenne and jalapeno pepper; Tony Cachere’s cajun seasoning and the andoille sausage seems to make it plenty spicy enough for my spice-averse kids and for a mixed-tastes work crowd. Thanks so much for a consistently popular recipe!
I made this exactly as the recipe is posted, and tripled it. It’s amazing! However, tripling should have made the recipe for up to 24 people, but I bet I’ll be able to feed more that! Looking forward to sharing it with our friends for Fat Tuesday!
I love reading recipe comments… added 1 wild goose embryo 3 dragons toe nails, my Japanese second aunt once removed said that jambalaya should be cooked inside of a cast iron bell found in the indian Ocean so of course I did that. Other than that I followed the recipe exactly!! It was a little salty so next time I’ll add 1 teaspoon less chicken stock!! Great recipe thanks for spending all that time writing it for me to follow almost exactly!
I replaced the shrimp with bacon. Pretty good. I might go a little heavier on the spices next time. I also ate a second serving and hated myself for it. Definitely recommend.
This is the BEST JAMBALAYA RECIPE EVER. It’s so delicious, it tastes as if I put butter in it but I didn’t. I did a few things different. The chicken was grilled, instead of Okra I used zucchini (I just don’t care for okra) and I added a Tablespoon of Apple cider.
So delicious and will be so welcomed after tomorrow’s a rainy cold day. I would serve this for company it’s that good. Definitely a keeper!
This turned out amazing! Thank you! I kicked it up with extra heat and topped it with class in the shell both for taste and they made it look a step above!
I just want to thank you so much for this recipe. It was really ground breaking for me and let me create this beautiful dish for my family, friends and guests at our Bed & Breakfast. https://www.starlingsandroses.ca/post/not-your-average-jambalaya
Excellent – I don’t particularly like cooking, but this recipe is easy, flexible, and hearty enough to get me through a Canadian winter. I like to make one big batch and freeze the leftovers.
I cook for my elderly parents. Fabulous recipe. My father asked for seconds-he never does that. .
I would like to make this a day or two ahead of time. What is the best way to reheat it?
Loved it. Taste was amazing. I eliminated cayenne to keep heat under control. Alot of prep work but was worth it. Going in my recipe box!
Wow. This recipe is one of the best things we’ve ever eaten!! It is soooo good. Everybody who ate some couldn’t get over the deliciousness. One thing to be aware of is that it took 2 of us ALMOST AN HOUR to prep everything, including the meat and vegetables. But it was worth every minute and we’ll do it again!
We used the “Slap Ya Mama” (low sodium blend) Cajun seasoning in addition to the thyme and bay leaf. Did not add more cayenne because it was in the Slap Ya Mama seasoning.
Good recipe. I was missing green pepper and used prawns instead o’ shrimp, chorizo for the sausage and basmati rice. It was a foolish rice choice on my part and sucked the moisture out of the sauce – which was lucky as i didn’t have any okra to thicken it. Tasted good though and m’ boy loved it. (I leaned heavier on the spices and used a birdseye chili too…)
Will definitely cook it again, but with the proper ingredients.
I would cook the rice separately next time. They soaked up all the liquid and then some. Ended up using 10 cups of broth. The flavor is great though😁
Fantastic recipe……I followed recipe as written and only omitted the okra. Thank you for sharing it. It’s a keeper!
Adding to my regular favorites!! So simple and supremely flavorful!! Such a fun flavor blend and easy to kick it down a couple notches for my kiddos to enjoy too. I omit the jalapeños cause we’ve never liked them but follow the rest to a T. Excellent recipe.
Absolutely delicious! But I used shrimp and smoke sausage, the same recipe without the okra. With some chicken bullion.
Have made this several times and absolutely love it! I’ve made a few adjustments. Use two andouille sausages, two cayenne peppers, 3 chicken breasts and 1 1/2 teaspoons of cayenne. My friend love the heat. Also, I hold out the garlic until after the other veggies are sautéed, then add the spices, garlic and rice. Magnifico!!
¨Well im starved who wants jambalya!¨-Alastor in the pilot episode……Well hes hungry we need a nice Jambalya for him and this recipe works perfect!
I have a pot going right now, tastes better than the usual that I make! I used an habanero instead of jalapeno. Pretty sure this will be my new jamba recipe.