What goes in Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a Creole/Cajun dish made with rice, tomatoes, peppers, celery, onion, shrimp, spicy sausage (usually Andouille) and chicken. The Cajun spice blend is made up of garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, black and white pepper, oregano, cayenne, thyme and red pepper flakes. You can make your jambalaya as spicy or mild as you wish if you make your own spice blend like we did here.
There are more detailed instructions with photos below recipe card, if needed.
Perfect Jambalaya
The perfect mixture and spice blend to an amazing Cajun dish!
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 Chicken Thighs, diced
- 2 Spicy Sausages, sliced (Andouille preferred)
- 2 ribs Celery, medium diced
- 1/2 Red Onion, medium diced
- 1 cup Rice
- 3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
- 1 Green pepper, medium diced
- 1 Red Pepper, medium diced
- 1 14oz can Tomatoes, chopped
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 2 Tbsp Cajun Spice blend (*see below)
- 12 medium size Shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 2 Green Onions, sliced
Instructions
- In a large deep frying pan, heat oil to medium heat and add chicken thighs and sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring with a heat resistant spatula.
- Stir in the Celery and red onion, sauté for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the rice, garlic, and a pinch of salt sauté for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the green and red peppers, tomatoes, HALF of the chicken broth, bay leaf and Cajun Spice blend with a couple pinches of salt.
- Keep on medium heat, with a spatula constantly scrape the bottom stirring the whole time. This takes a lot of effort but is so worth it.
- Add the rest of the chicken broth as needed, keep cooking until the rice is almost fully cooked.
- Mix in the shrimp, cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Turn to low and put a lid on the pan. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Mix thoroughly, taste for seasoning, add salt if necessary.
- Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
Try to look after the pan at all times, you want the heat to be medium, to cook the rice at the proper pace. But because of this temperature it will constantly stick to the bottom of the pan. It needs to be scraped off the bottom of the pan the whole time for even cooking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 693Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 32gCholesterol: 240mgSodium: 2887mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 46g
We are not certified nutritionists and make no claims to be so. The nutritional information given here is intended for informational purposes only. These nutritional calculations are rounded numbers dependant on the certain ingredients and amounts in the recipe and are by no means perfect.
Steps to making perfectly cooked Jambalaya:
- In a large deep frying pan, heat oil to medium heat and add chicken thighs and sausage. Cook for 5 minutes, browning on both sides of the protien.
- Stir in the diced celery and red onion, sauté for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the rice, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the green and red peppers, canned tomatoes, HALF of the chicken broth, bay leaf and Cajun Spice blend with a couple pinches of salt. Keep on medium heat.
- With a spatula constantly scrape the bottom stirring the whole time. This takes a lot of effort but is so worth it.
- Add the rest of the chicken broth a little bit at a time (1/4 cup at a time) while watching the mixture soak it up. Keep cooking and adding stock until the rice is almost fully cooked ( just barely underdone) and there is a little bit of liquid in the pan, about 2 tablespoons around the edges. The amounts in the recipe were perfect for mine, but every batch will be a little different.
- Mix in the shrimp, cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Turn to low and put a lid on the pan. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Mix thoroughly, taste for seasoning, add salt if necessary. Enjoy!
How do I make perfect Jambalaya?
The secret to an amazing Jambalaya is to keep watching it as you cook it, moving the pan as you would when making a risotto, watching the rice slowly absorb liquid. The Jambalaya should not be mushy, liquid-y nor chewy. It should have a perfect texture along with properly cooked vegetables and meat/seafood, from the way you add the ingredients. Make sure to follow the recipe exactly and you will be surprised of the amazing outcome!
