My Cajun French friend Sydney has given me a hard time for YEARS for making jambalaya the wrong way. I mean… give a girl from California a few years to explore her own jambalaya journey. Since moving to New Orleans I’ve made my jambalaya recipe the Creole way, with tomatoes. The result is a delicious rice dish with hints of paella and a firm reflection of the many different cultural influences in New Orleans.
This year I ventured into Cajun Jambalaya, a rice, chicken and sausage pot without tomatoes, flavored deeply by the fats within the meat. I was floored. I won’t say that I was making jambalaya the wrong way for years before but I will say I was making it the…. less good way. The meat and herb flavors in this Cajun jambalaya take center stage without being toppled by acidic tomatoes.
This pot is my new comfort food and it’s absolutely imperative to have a pot on the stove every night of deep Mardi Gras.
Jambalaya has its roots in Cajun cooking. It’s a one-pot meal traditionally made by dumping all of the ingredients into the one big pot you own and bringing it to a boil before covering for a long slow simmer. We won’t stray too far from those traditions.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Cajun Jambalaya recipe:
• Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (the bones and the skin will create essential fat and flavor)
• Andouille sausage (If you can’t get Andouille sausage, a kielbasa sausage will give you the smoky flavor this dish needs. Andouille is seasoned with filé powder and heat spice. Amp up the spice if you’re using kielbasa.)
• yellow onion, green bell pepper, and celery – also known as the holy trinity.
• garlic
• olive oil, salt, and fresh cracked black pepper
• thyme, oregano, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper
• chicken broth
• hot sauce (I like Crystal or Louisiana Hot Saucebrand)
• white rice – my preference is a medium grain rice. Feel free to use a short grain, long grain rice, brown rice, or jasmine rice.
• fresh parsley and scallions for serving
This dish is best cooked in a cast iron or dutch oven.
What is the difference between Cajun and Creole jambalaya?
Short answer: TOMATOES.
Cajun cooking is born from the French Acadian people who settled in the prairies and wetlands of Louisiana. Their cooking is very much based on what they had access to in the land around them. Creole cooking is best associated with the ethnically diverse port city of New Orleans. With access to different ingredients fresh off the boats, Creole food evolved beyond its Cajun influence.
Cajun Jambalaya is sometimes referred to as “brown” jambalaya as opposed to its tomato-infused cousin, Creole “red” jambalaya.
I think most people who don’t live down south know jambalaya and as the tomato paste tinted rice dish with chicken and shrimp. That was certainly true for me. This Cajun jambalaya recipe takes us back to its roots, with an updated cooking technique to draw out the a deep smoky flavor.
Which jambalaya is better – Cajun or Creole? You decide (except there is a correct answer and the correct answer is Cajun Jambalaya).
Here’s a recipe for an easy and affordable red jamby: Julia and Roger’s Creole Jambalaya
Serve with salad, and finish with a slice of buttered cornbread with honey for dessert.
Print
Chicken and Sausage Cajun Jambalaya
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: dinner, new orleans
Description
A classic Cajun Jambalaya perfect to feed a crowd or feel your soul any time of year.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- Sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, sweet paprika
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Cajun andouille sausage, sliced into ½-inch coins
- 1 medium yellow onion (225 grams), finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper (140 grams), finely diced
- 2 celery stalks (85 grams), finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced (1 teaspoon if using dried thyme)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoons Louisiana Hot Sauce (or Crystal or Tabasco)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- 2 cups medium grain rice
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 4–6 scallions, sliced for garnish
Instructions
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt, pepper, and paprika and allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a Dutch oven or other oven-proof pot with a lid, heat oil on the stovetop over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the chicken, skin side down. We’ll cook the chicken in two batches so don’t feel the need to overcrowd the pan. Cook until browned (about 5 minutes) and flip to brown on the other side (another 5 minutes). Remove the chicken to a plate and cook the remaining chicken. Set aside.
- Add the andouille to the pan and cook until browned (about 6 minutes) stirring occasionally. If brown bits have accumulated on the bottom of the pan, that’s great – that’s flavor. Remove the sausage from the pan and place into a small bowl. Add the onions, peppers, and celery and cook until softened, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and oregano and cook for another 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the garlic powder, cayenne, bay leaves and hot sauce and stir to combine.
- Stir in the rice and return the sausage and any juices to the pan. Stir and brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Nestle in the chicken pieces and any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Stir, cover, and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Give the jambalaya a stir. Replace the lid and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Before serving. Remove the chicken from the pan, discard the skin and bones, shred chicken and add back to the pan. Serve warm.
34 Responses
I made this a few months ago and it was fantastic! I made it today the rice was mysteriously not cooked at the end. Sticking it back on the oven.
I am wondering if this could be cooked on the stovetop without the oven. Things are heating up around here and I don’t want to run the oven again til fall! Thanks so much Joy !
For anyone reading this with the same question, I made this recipe on the stovetop tonight and I think it came out even better than when I made it in the oven before! I don’t have an exact time for how long I simmered it, I just checked a few times until all the liquid was gone; just like cooking regular rice.
Oh I also shredded the skin and added it back to the pot along with the meat. We don’t throw out chicken skin in this house!
You have my full respect. :)
Yessss to Cajun jambalaya!! I used what I had on hand (jasmine rice and boneless skinless chicken breast) and it still came out great. I prefer my rice a little drier and firmer than the lovely folks in the South so I might cut back the water just a bit next time but will definitely make this again! It is very similar to the jambalaya served at The Jambalaya Shoppe (don’t know if they have those in New Orleans but if you ever find yourself in Baton Rouge!)
Excellent flavor and texture!
Been in Nola for a few years now. Finally doing a Dutch oven jumbalia tonight, just in time for a warm day. Thanks for the recipe
The city I live in is The Jambalaya Capital of the World.
Brown jambalaya is what we eat around southeast Louisiana.
The creole jambalaya is mostly served in restaurants for tourists as it is prettier.
This is a pretty decent recipe sans the Thyme and Oregano.
Any smoked sausage will work as well.
Long grain rice is what should be used.
I welcome everyone to visit my city Memorial Day weekend for the World Jambalaya Cook-off. This brown jambalaya is the only approved jambalaya.
As someone who tends to avoid tomatoes, I have always leaned toward jambalaya without tomatoes in it…so that’s fun to know there’s actually a difference in the dish depending on the presence (or absence) of the tomatoes! Guess I will officially declare my status of “Team Cajun.” =)
I need to make this for a friend, as a casserole. Hope it works in. 9×13” pan.
I am so excited to make this for my hubby I am sure he will love it! Can you please verify that the rice you use is regular and not instant, I don’t want to mess the recipe. Thank You!
I definitely used regular rice and not instant rice.
Made this yesterday and we loved it. So good. A keeper for sure.
I think this was delicious in spite of my error. I couldn’t decide if the 2 cups of rice was literally 2 cups of cooked rice or 2 cups of rice needing to be cooked. Anyhow, I went ahead and cooked the rice before I put it into the pot with the other ingredients. The rice ended up being pretty mushy but the overall taste was absolutely delicious. If you have a minute, would you confirm that I was supposed to put the uncooked rice into the pot and then into the oven?
Hello Meda! I’m Abby, Joy’s editor. I can confirm for you that, yes, the rice should be UNcooked before you put it into the pot. The 4 cups of stock has nothing to absorb into if the rice is already cooked. I hope that helps! Happy cooking! – xo
I have never made jambalaya. But, my husband loves Cajun food so I thought I would give it a try. Success! He loved it!
It is a keeper.
Thanks for sharing!
So amazing. A new family favorite! Thanks for the recipe, and happy Mardi Gras!
Made it for my family and we loved it
Looks extragood, I’ll try it with an italian sausage!
Hello, Joy ~
Thinking I missed something & perhaps you can set me straight. Followed the recipe above. My oven runs a little cool so I put temp at 350. After 30 minutes I had soup. Gave it another 30 minutes in the oven. Thickening but nowhere near your photo. I removed the chicken, shredded it with 2 forks, added back to the Lodge Dutch oven, brought it to stove top & simmered on low about 20 minutes after which time the liquid was absorbed but what I had was pretty mushy – altho flavorful. Where did I go wrong? Diane on Whidbey Island
Hello, Diane, I’m Abby, editor for Joy. First, I’m so sorry this didn’t turn out exactly perfect. In reading how you made it, I honestly can’t see anywhere you went wrong (which of course makes things more frustrating). As long as you got a slight toast on the rice and brought it to a simmer before putting in the oven, it seems like everything should have lined up beautifully for you. The only thing I could think of would maybe use a medium grain rice instead of a basmati (not sure what grain of rice you used) but that’s such a small tweak that should not have changed the anatomy of the dish too much. I plan on making this for myself on Fat Tuesday and I promise to report back! I’m in this with you Diane! – xo
Thank you kindly, Abby!
I used Lundberg Family Farms Countrywild which is long grain. Next time I’ll get some Carolina gold from my rellies in NC or sub in a medium or short grain.
BTW, did you know that we have lost 100,000 species of rice?
Happy Fat Tuesday ~ Diane
Hey, Abby ~
1 last question:
“Stir, cover, and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Give the jambalaya a stir. Replace the lid and allow to rest for 15 minutes.”
Question: does it rest in the oven and with heat still on?
Sorry for the confusion Diane – rest for 15 minutes out of the oven with the lid on. This will just give the rice a chance to absorb the last of the liquid and steam.
This was kismet! I had just bought the trinity ingredients and andouille sausage this week, intending to make something Cajun inspired and then woke up to this recipe in my inbox yesterday. Made it last night and it did not disappoint! New favorite meal for sure.
I made this recipe from your magazine a while ago & it was delicious. Making gumbo this weekend & will make this again Fat Tuesday.
YES! I’ve had to stop eating tomatoes in the past year and have been mourning jambalaya. I didn’t even KNOW there was another way to make it. Adding all the ingredients to the shopping list pronto.
Yessss! My family is cajun…my pawpaw grew up in a tiny Louisiana village called Plaucheville where his mother couldn’t even speak English. This is the jambalaya I know and love. My family calls the kind with tomatoes simply Creole. So we’re serving you either Shrimp Jambalaya or Shrimp Creole, they are two distinct dishes. I think I’m out of bell peppers, gotta fix that before Lent!
That looks like chicken bog, which is kinda like SC version of Jambalaya. So delicious!!
I’ve never heard of Chicken Bog but I feel like I’m about to go on a deep dive about it!
Make it with Carolina gold rice! There’s a couple of companies in South Carolina that make it, that stuff is life changing.
Joy do you take the chicken off the bone before serving ?
Yes, Lorna! I updated the recipe for you!
Brilliant thanks Joy ! Hopefully getvto make it tomorrow…only ever done the creole version before .