Jambalaya! This classic southern recipe is brimming with three proteins including tender shrimp, chicken as well as sausage, and it’s cooked with hearty rice in addition to a colorful array of nutritious vegetables. And it’sec all seasoned amongst flavorful cajun spices.
It’second delicious comfort food match for serving any solar day of the yr!
What is Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a famous New Orleans dish amongst Spanish, French and African influence (inspiration coming from dishes such as paella, jollof as well as jambalai). It’s a ane pan homestyle dinner with a rich history.
Most commonly it consists of andouille sausage, chicken or pork, and seafood such every bit shrimp or crawfish. Then also included is a sofrito blend of vegetables (bell pepper, onion, together with celery) as well as white rice. And everything cooks together making it an slow together with flavorful recipe.
You may live wondering, what is the deviation between jambalaya as well as gumbo? The two dishes are real like just a primary distinction is that alongside gumbo it is served over rice patch with jambalaya the rice is mixed right in as well as cooked with everything else. Gumbo is more stew-similar too it usually takes hours of simmering whereas jambalaya tin make in nether an hour and is drier.
You tin’t get wrong amongst either only today it’second all well-nigh the jambalaya! Isn’t it simply fun to say? I mean it would accept to gustation proficient with a bring up similar that!
Jambalaya Ingredients:
- Olive crude oil – this helps brown the sausage. Vegetable petroleum plant bully here as well.
- Andouille sausage – I like to function cajun manner sausage just almost types of smoked sausage volition go fine here.
- Yellow onion, bell pepper, celery, too garlic – these fresh vegetables construct of the crucial beginning layer of season of the dish, don’t skip them.
- Canned crushed tomatoes – this adds a very lightly sweetness season together with gives it that classic tomatoey base of operations. Canned petite diced tomatoes would run also.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – desire to make it fifty-fifty meliorate? Use a homemade chicken stock, I similar to continue around stashed inward the freezer. Also don’t toss those rotisserie chicken bones, make that same chicken stock alongside it (I usually become the crockpot route).
- Paprika, thyme, oregano and cayenne pepper – to continue the listing shorter I stick alongside these 4 spices only yous can besides add together cumin and chili powder if desired for more than flavour.
- White rice – merely stick alongside standard long grain white rice for this recipe. If you swap to a dissimilar kind amounts of liquid needed in addition to cook times could vary.
- Orka – this is optional as it’sec not a typical component inwards jambalaya. I usually add it for an extra vegetable for nutrition, and a popular of vivid color.
- Shrimp – I recommend using large or extra big shrimp in this recipe. Medium will run besides but it will fix quicker.
- Cooked chicken – I like to role cooked rotisserie chicken to proceed this recipe easy. It saves a pace addition if you lot set out amongst using diced sauteed chicken chest it tin can cease upwards overcooked by the time the rice is done anyway.
- Green onions in addition to fresh parsley – this finishing touch on adds a lot of fresh flavor as well as a overnice popular of color. If you lot don’t desire to buy both you lot tin can function i or the other.
How to Make Jambalaya:
- Brown sausage, fix aside: Heat olive crude inwards a large pot over medium-high oestrus. Add sausage too make, tossing occasionally until browned, nigh v – half-dozen minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain, go out rock oil inwards pan.
- Saute veggies: Add onion, bell pepper, too celery to pot. Saute six minutes. Add garlic together with saute ane infinitesimal longer.
- Add liquids, seasonings, raw rice and cooked sausage: Pour in chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, paprika thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper together with flavor amongst salt and pepper to taste. Stir in cooked sausage as well as rice.
- Boil and so simmer mixture: Bring mixture to a low-cal boil over medium-high heat. Reduce estrus to low oestrus, encompass together with simmer until rice is almost fully tender, almost twenty – 25 minutes. Stir inward a trivial extra broth as needed.
- Add shrimp as well as okra: Stir inward shrimp too okra, comprehend and proceed to cook until shrimp have cooked through, well-nigh iv – 5 minutes.
- Finish with cooked chicken together with fresh greens: Stir inward chicken, light-green onions and parsley.
How to Adjust Spicy Cajun Flavor?
If you lot aren’t a fan of spicy nutrient you lot tin nevertheless bask a mild jambalaya by making a few modifications. Don’t function cajun smoked sausage, become for a more mild type and so omit the cayenne pepper.
If you similar it really spicy you can too add inwards i or two seeded diced jalapeños or a tin a diced hot dark-green chilies. Or of grade merely upwardly the cayenne pepper together with keep it uncomplicated.
Can I Use Smoked Turkey Sausage?
Yes definitely. Just go along inwards mind it doesn’t brown quite as well as the measure beef/pork sausage.
Can I Use a Store Bought Cajun Seasoning?
Yes. But government note that you tin’t suit rut to sense of taste if you use a pre-mixed cajun seasoning. Omit the paprika too cayenne pepper and then outset alongside 2 tsp cajun seasoning in addition to add more than to sense of taste.
Can I Use Pre-Cooked Shrimp?
Yes that would be fine but since it’second already cooked you lot wouldn’t want to add it until the stop when you lot add the pre-cooked chicken (together with simply allow it warm through if cold). No 1 want’second rubbery overcooked shrimp.
Can I Use Uncooked Chicken?
Yes raw diced chicken (ane pound) will run hither if you make it at the start earlier everything else (prepare separately from sausage). I alone recommend using chicken thighs if going this road (not breasts!) because if you go on to cook alongside the rice too everything else chicken chest pith volition definitely go overcooked too dry.
Tips for the Best Jambalaya:
- Allow the sausage to brown on the outside. This adds a lot of season.
- Don’t live skimpy alongside the spices. These pass the dish that authentic flavor. You tin can fifty-fifty add together more to sense of taste (or add together additional spices like chili powder and cumin).
- Use frozen in addition to freshly thawed shrimp (unless you have access for fresh caught). The shrimp at the nub/seafood counter could accept been sitting there for days too it’second previously frozen anyway, quondam seafood (patently) never tastes adept.
- Adjust the total of broth used as needed. Every pot allows steam to escape a niggling differently, if you lot role a snug plumbing fixtures chapeau iii to 3 one/ii cups should live enough just add together more than as needed so the rice isn’t dry out together with undercooked.
- Use seasoned chicken from os-inward cooked chicken such every bit a rotisserie chicken. It has improve flavor and so boneless.
More Delicious Southern Style Recipes to Try:
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Cornbread
- Oven Fried Chicken
- Red Beans and Rice
- Sheet Pan Cajun Chicken as well as Veggies
- Shrimp Boil Skillet
Jambalaya
Ingredients
- ane Tbsp olive crude oil
- xiii oz. andouille sausage, sliced into one/iv-inch thick rounds
- one medium xanthous onion, (1 iii/4 cups)
- 2 medium bell peppers, seeded as well as chopped (ii ane/2 cups, preferably 1 ruddy too ane xanthous)
- iii celery ribs, chopped (ane cup)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (one one/ii Tbsp)
- iii cups depression-sodium chicken broth, plus more than every bit needed
- 1 (fourteen.v oz) tin crushed tomatoes*
- i i/ii tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ane tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, less or more than to sense of taste**
- Salt too freshly earth black pepper
- one one/2 cups long grain white rice
- i lb. large or extra large shrimp, peeled in addition to deveined
- one 1/two cups sliced okra, fresh or frozen, thawed (optional)
- two cups shredded cooked chicken (I use rotisserie chicken)
- 1/three loving cup chopped dark-green onions
- i/4 loving cup chopped fresh parsley, addition more for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Preheat olive petroleum inwards a big pot over medium-high rut. Add sausage as well as prepare, tossing occasionally until browned, nearly 5 - vi minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with newspaper towels to drain, exit rock oil inwards pan.
- Add onion, bell pepper, in addition to celery to pot. Saute 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute i infinitesimal longer.
- Pour inward chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, paprika, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper together with flavor alongside table salt as well as pepper to taste. Stir inwards cooked sausage together with rice.
- Bring mixture to a lite boil over medium-high rut. Reduce estrus to low oestrus, embrace and simmer until rice is nearly fully tender, about xx - 25 minutes. Stir in a little extra broth equally needed.
- Stir inwards shrimp too okra, encompass too go along to make until shrimp have cooked through, almost iv - 5 minutes.
- Stir in chicken, light-green onions too parsley. Serve straightaway garnishing each serving amongst more parsley if desired.
Notes
- *one (xiv.five oz) can petite diced tomatoes tin can be substituted.
- **This is a spicy dish both from the cayenne pepper in addition to the sausage. If yous don't similar spicy nutrient you can omit the cayenne pepper and function a dissimilar type of smoked sausage.
- **For more than rut yous can also add together a chopped jalapeno inwards when sautéing peppers or add together a tin of hot diced dark-green chilis inwards when adding crushed tomatoes.
- For some other layer of season y'all can also add together inwards cumin or chili powder to taste, or serve alongside lemon wedges for spritzing.
- Recipe inspired past Southern Living
Amount Per Serving
Calories 637
Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*