Hauntingly delicious, jambalaya is a beloved one-pot meal for good reason. It is complex, spicy, and satisfying. This Creole version includes tomatoes and combines richly seasoned rice with a hearty combination of chicken and Andouille sausage. Flecked with the usual "holy trinity" of onion, celery, and green pepper, along with a robust seasoning mixture, the flavors of this dish are kaleidoscopic....just like its origins. The first time I ever tasted jambalaya, I had the fortune to be dining alone in a secluded corner of the bar at the storied Napoleon House in New Orleans. While my version of jambalaya is certainly not as authentic, this alluring dish still takes me right back to that little corner of the French Quarter every single time I cook it.
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Ingredients for Jambalaya
- Andouille sausage
- boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
- yellow onion
- celery
- green pepper
- garlic
- sunflower oil (or other neutral oil)
- finely chopped tomatoes (boxed or canned)
- hot sauce
- chicken stock
- long grain white rice
- bay leaves
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- paprika
- freshly ground black or white pepper
- kosher salt
- flat leaf parsley or scallions to garnish (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for Jambalaya
Prepare the Ingredients
In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt. Set aside this seasoning mixture.
Next pour the finely chopped tomatoes into a strainer over a medium bowl. Set the tomatoes aside to allow the liquid to drain while you prepare the vegetables for the trinity. (Reserve the liquid from the tomatoes.)
In the meantime, finely chop the onion, celery, and green pepper and set aside these ingredients for the trinity. Mince the garlic and set it aside separately.
Measure the juice that has drained from the tomatoes to determine how much chicken stock you will need to equal 4½ cups of liquid in total. If using bouillon to make the chicken stock, dissolve in boiling water. Set the mixture of tomato juice and stock aside.
Then cut the Andouille sausage (slicing on the diagonal) into pieces about a quarter to half an inch thick and cut the chicken into medium chunks.
Finally, sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the chicken pieces and toss to coat.
Gradually Build up Flavor and Assemble the Jambalaya
Heat the oven to 325℉. Place a large dutch oven over medium heat and add two tablespoons of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown. (It's best to do this in a single layer, which typically requires at least two batches.) Set the browned chicken aside. Fond will begin to develop on the bottom of the pot as you brown the meat, but don't let it scorch. (If it begins to look burned at any point, simply add a bit of liquid or adjust the heat.)
Next add the Andouille sausage and brown. Set the browned sausage aside. At this point, the bottom of the pot should be thoroughly covered with fond and will look very dark. (Do not be alarmed...this is exactly what you want.)
Then add the remaining two tablespoons of oil to the pot. When it is hot, add the onion, celery, and green pepper for the trinity. Saute this mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
Next add the drained tomatoes, mixture of tomato juice and chicken stock, and hot sauce. Toss in the bay leaves and bring the mixture to a boil.
Add the rice and stir.
Then add the browned chicken and sausage. Give the whole mixture another good stir and bring the pot back to a simmer.
Cover the pot with a lid and transfer it to the oven. Then cook for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid.
Serve the jambalaya with more hot sauce alongside. If you prefer to garnish it, scatter some chopped fresh leaf parsley or scallions over the top. Discard the bay leaves as you find them.
Hint: You can easily increase or decrease the level of heat in this dish by simply adjusting the amount and type of the hot sauce and/or ground pepper you are adding (i.e. white pepper is more mild).
Serving Suggestions
- To Garnish - a scattering of chopped flat leaf parsley or scallions is an optional flourish
- To Drink - ice cold beer (preferably a lager) or a classic Sazerac
Equipment
A large dutch oven is my go-to vessel for this one-pot recipe. (The one used here is a 5.5 capacity Le Creuset round oven.)
Storage
Leftover jambalaya can be refrigerated for three to four days.
Top tip
When it comes to the liquid in which the rice is cooked, you can certainly use chicken stock alone if you prefer. But I would still recommend draining the juices from the tomatoes before adding them to the pot, since the extra liquid will alter your ratio of rice to cooking liquid.
📖 Recipe
Jambalaya
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven (or other heavy pot with a tightly fitting lid) at least 5.5 quart capacity
Ingredients
- 1 pound Andouille sausage sliced into pieces about ¼ to ½ inch thick
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) cut into medium chunks
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 to 4 stalks celery finely chopped
- 1 large green pepper finely chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil (or other neutral cooking oil), divided
- 28 ounces finely chopped tomatoes (boxed or canned) drained with juices reserved
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (Louisiana style)
- about 4½ cups chicken stock and reserved juices from tomatoes (measure the reserved tomato juices and then add enough chicken stock to equal about 4½ cups of liquid in total)
- 3 bay leaves
- 2½ cups long grain white rice
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Prepare All the Ingredients
- In a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and salt. Set aside the seasoning mixture.
- Pour the finely chopped tomatoes into a strainer over a medium bowl. Set the tomatoes aside to allow all the liquid to drain while you prepare the vegetables for the trinity. (Reserve the liquid from the tomatoes.)
- Finely chop the onion, celery, and green pepper and set aside. Mince the garlic and set it aside separately.
- Measure the juice that has drained from the tomatoes to determine how much chicken stock you will need to equal 4½ cups of liquid in total. (And if using bouillon to make the chicken stock, dissolve in boiling water.) Set the mixture of tomato juice and stock aside.
- Cut the Andouille sausage into pieces about a quarter to half an inch thick (slicing on the diagonal) and cut the chicken into medium chunks.
- Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the chicken pieces and toss to coat.
Gradually Build up Flavor and Assemble the Jambalaya
- Heat the oven to 325℉.
- Place a large dutch oven over medium heat and add two tablespoons of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown. (It's best to do this in a single layer, which typically requires at least two batches.) Set the browned chicken aside. Fond will begin to develop on he bottom of the pot as you brown the meat, but don't let it scorch. (If it begins to look burned at any point, simply add a bit of liquid or adjust the heat down.)
- Next add the Andouille sausage and brown. Set the browned sausage aside. At this point, the bottom of the pot should be thoroughly darkened and covered with fond. (Do not be alarmed...this is exactly what you want for building flavor.)
- Add the remaining two tablespoons of oil to the pot. When it is hot, add the onion, celery, and green pepper for the trinity. Sauté this mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
- Add the drained tomatoes, mixture of tomato juice and chicken stock, and hot sauce. Toss in the bay leaves and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the rice and stir.
- Add the browned chicken and sausage. Give the whole mixture another good stir and bring the pot back to a simmer.
- Cover the pot with a lid and transfer it to the oven. Cook for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid.
- Serve the jambalaya with more hot sauce alongside. If you want to garnish the dish, scatter some chopped fresh leaf parsley or scallions over the top. Discard the bay leaves as you find them.
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