Browned chicken and sausage give this comforting Cajun dish of Chicken And Shrimp Jambalaya its rich, smoky taste. This outstanding one-pot rice dish has bites of seafood flavor from the shrimp.
I’m an Amazon Associate. The Louisiana Woman Blog contains affiliate links with Amazon, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. Thank you!
Jambalaya is a favored dish, mainly popularized as a New Orleans Creole jambalaya. But it's also an authentic Cajun dish steeped in tradition from my Southern Louisiana homeland.
This traditional dish's origins date back to the Boucherie days when the community came together to butcher their hogs. It made the work lighter and more entertaining. The article History of the Cajun People and Their Cuisine explains the event well.
For more recipes with Cajun French influences, see 25 Mardi Gras Food Recipes To Help You Celebrate, which are also appropriate for all year round.
Boudin is another classic Cajun food item usually made at boucherie gatherings. It's a Cajun delicacy of pork meat, organ meat, rice, lots of spices, and the Cajun holy trinity of onions, celery, and bell peppers made into a sausage link.
This Best Hot Cajun Boudin Dip Recipe and these Crispy Louisiana Boudin Egg Rolls are delicious dishes using boudin.
Jump to:
Ingredients
An authentic jambalaya recipe usually includes pork, chicken, sausage, and/or seafood as the main ingredients. It's very versatile. The simple ingredients of the Cajun trinity—tomatoes, broth, and rice—are cooked together for a satisfying one-pot meal.
- Cooking oil - I choose olive oil, but any cooking oil is acceptable.
- Chicken thighs, bone-in, and skin left on - the dark meat browns well in the oil, leaving dark brown drippings in the pan to help flavor the homemade jambalaya. It's more flavorful and tender than chicken breast meat.
- Smoked sausage - slice into rounds. Andouille sausage and kielbasa sausage also work beautifully.
- Onion - fresh ingredients in the Cajun trinity include a chopped onion.
- Celery - a second ingredient of the trinity used in Cajun cooking.
- Green bell pepper - the trinity's third partner in flavoring this easy jambalaya.
- Tomatoes and green chilis - these canned tomatoes are perfectly seasoned with spice from the green chilis.
- Garlic cloves - pressed or minced pieces of garlic spread their flavor throughout this dish.
- Chicken broth - the broth adds flavor to the dish as it cooks the rice in this one-pot wonder.
- Water - an adequate amount of liquid is needed to cook and steam the rice thoroughly.
- Rice - raw, long grain rice works best in jambalaya. Brown rice can be used, but it will take longer to cook and may require more water than white rice.
- Salt - the seasoning that unites and accents each ingredient
- Black pepper - black pepper always pairs well with chicken.
- Cajun seasoning - Cayenne pepper is used in this seasoning mix to add the right amount of heat. More can be added after the jambalaya cooks to adjust the heat to your and your guests' tastes.
- Shrimp - raw, peeled, and deveined medium to large shrimp.
- Fresh parsley or green onion - chopped and sprinkled over the cooked dish for a garnish.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and Nutrition Facts.
Instructions
This jambalaya is an easy one-pot dish flavored with smoked sausage and chicken and has the distinct seafood taste of shrimp. The secret to full flavor is browning the chicken and the sausage slowly to get dark pan dripping.
Step 1: Heat oil in a thick pot, such as a large Dutch oven, Magnelite, or black iron pot, over medium to medium-high heat.
Step 2: Place the chicken thighs in the hot oil and brown well on each side to a golden brown, leaving dark pan drippings on the bottom and sides of the pot. Remove the chicken to a bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Brown the sausage making more brown bits in the pot; transfer the sausage to the bowl with the chicken and set aside.
Step 4: Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and tomatoes with juice to the dripping in the large pot; cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
Step 5: Stir the garlic into the vegetables at the last minute of cooking or until they are fragrant.
Step 6: While the trinity cooks, use a fork and knife to remove the chicken meat from the thigh bones and discard the bones and skin.
Step 7: Add the chicken meat, sausage, broth, water, rice, and seasonings to the cooked vegetables and stir together.
Step 8: Cover the pot and cook on low to medium heat for 30 minutes, checking often to see if the rice is sticking to the bottom. If so, lower the heat.
Step 9: When the rice is cooked, gently stir the shrimp into the jambalaya, cover the pot, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and no longer opaque.
Step 10: Serve hot, garnish with chopped green onions or parsley, and leave a bottle of hot sauce out for those who crave more heat.
Hint: During cooking, peek through the jambalaya with a spoon to see if the rice sticks to the bottom. If so, lower the heat.
Substitutions
- For even more flavor, brown the chicken using bacon grease instead of cooking oil, for more smoked taste from the bacon.
- Any colored bell pepper is acceptable in this recipe.
- This recipe can be used with a whole chicken, chicken legs, or chicken breasts. Use an equal amount to the 3 ½ pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
- Substitute the shrimp with 1 pound of raw crawfish tails. You can even use leftover peeled crawfish from a crawfish boil.
Variations
Here are some suggestions for various meat combinations to suit your and your guests' tastes when making a jambalaya. Of course, they all include smoked sausage, a main ingredient. I haven't met a jambalaya without it!
- Pork and smoked sausage
- Chicken and smoked sausage
- Shrimp and smoked sausage
- Pork, chicken, and shrimp with smoked sausage
- Crawfish and smoked sausage
- Ground beef and smoked sausage
Equipment
Be sure to cook the jambalaya in a large, thick, heavy pot, such as a Dutch oven, magnalite pot, or black iron pot. All of these ingredients need room, and a thick pot will keep it from sticking to the bottom as it simmers on medium-low heat.
Storage
After it is cooled, store the jambalaya in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost and warm with a bit of water in the bottom of the pot or microwave container when re-heating.
Top Tip
Brown the chicken and sausage to a dark brown on each side, removing them from the pot before they scorch or burn. This results in the highest level of flavor from the meat and leaves dark brown pan drippings to mix with the other ingredients, enhancing the depth of the jambalaya's taste.
FAQ
Traditional ingredients in a jambalaya recipe consist of a single or combination of meats and/or seafood, such as pork or chicken, shrimp or crawfish, and usually with smoked sausage.
Any long-grain rice is suitable for making jambalaya because it does not turn mushy during the cooking process like medium-grain rice can.
The shrimp turn pink and are no longer opaque. They will also curl into an open "C" for Cooked, if they are a closed "O," then they are Overcooked.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this Chicken And Shrimp Jambalaya? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with jambalaya:
Chicken And Shrimp Jambalaya Recipe With Sausage
This jambalaya is an easy one-pot dish flavored with smoked sausage and chicken and has the distinct seafood taste of shrimp. The secret to full flavor is browning the chicken and the sausage slowly to get dark pan dripping.
- Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 ½ pounds chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- 12 ounces smoked sausage, sliced in ¼" rounds
- 1 cup chopped yellow or white onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 10-ounce can of tomatoes and green chilis, include juice from the can
- 1 ½ cups raw, white, long-grain rice
- 4 cups salted chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 pound raw medium to large-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
- chopped fresh green onion and/or fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oil in a thick pot, such as a large Dutch oven, Magnelite, or black iron pot, over medium to medium-high heat.
- Place the chicken thighs in the hot oil and brown well on each side to a golden brown, leaving dark pan drippings on the bottom and sides of the pot. Remove the chicken to a bowl and set aside.
- Brown the sausage until brown, making more brown bits in the pot; transfer the sausage to the bowl with the chicken and set aside.
- Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and tomatoes with juice to the dripping in the large pot; cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- While the veggies cook, use a fork and knife to remove the chicken meat from the thigh bones and discard the bones and skin.
- Stir the garlic into the vegetables at the last minute of cooking or until they are fragrant.
- Add the chicken meat, sausage, broth, water, rice, and seasonings to the cooked vegetables and stir together.
- Cover the pot and cook on low to medium heat for 30 minutes, checking often to see if the rice is sticking to the bottom. If so, lower the heat.
- When the rice is cooked, gently stir the shrimp into the jambalaya, cover the pot, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and no longer opaque.
- Serve hot, garnish with chopped green onions or parsley, and leave a bottle of hot sauce out for those who crave more heat.
Notes
- During cooking, check pot often, peeking through the jambalaya with a spoon, to see if the rice sticks to the bottom. If so, lower the heat.
- Add a a small amount of water at at time if the jambalaya seems to be cooking too fast and drying out. Not too much or your dish will be mushy and soupy; if so cook for a few minutes uncovered.
- After it is cooled, store the jambalaya in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Cajun
You know I love hearing from you. Please leave a question or comment below, and don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Instagram and pin my recipes to Pinterest.
Have a nice day!
'One word helps you do somenting about one thing instead of nothing about everything."
Mike Ashcraft
Comments
No Comments