Jambalaya
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Make authentic-tasting jambalaya at home with this one-pot recipe featuring chicken, andouille sausage, and shrimp.
There’s nothing like a big pot of jambalaya to bring everyone to the table. One of Louisiana’s most beloved dishes, it’s a one-pot rice meal with roots in West African, French, and Spanish cooking traditions. The name likely comes from the Provençal word jambalaia, meaning “mishmash” or “mix,” which says it all—rice cooked with a little bit of everything.
This version, adapted from When Southern Women Cook by America’s Test Kitchen, features chicken, smoky andouille sausage, and shrimp cooked together in a well-seasoned broth with vegetables and spices. It’s a comforting, crowd-pleasing dish that’s just as perfect for a Sunday night family dinner as it is for a casual get-together. Add a simple green salad or cornbread, if you like, and dinner is served.
What You’ll Need To Make Jambalaya
- Chicken, sausage & shrimp: A classic Cajun combination. Chicken thighs stay juicy, andouille sausage adds smoky depth, and the shrimp—added at the end—cook in just a few minutes so they don’t overdo it. (Note: Andouille is a fully cooked, smoked pork sausage; you’ll usually find it near the kielbasa or hot dogs in the grocery store.)
- Onion, celery, bell pepper & garlic: The Cajun “holy trinity” (plus garlic). This mix forms the aromatic base of the dish—dice everything small so it softens evenly and blends right into the jambalaya.
- Chicken broth, clam juice, diced tomatoes, thyme & cayenne: Together they create a rich, savory cooking liquid that gives the rice its signature character. The clam juice brings a subtle brininess that ties in with the shrimp, while thyme and cayenne keep the flavors balanced and lively.
- Rice: Long-grain converted rice (like Ben’s Original) holds up beautifully—it absorbs the liquid without turning mushy, even if slightly overcooked. Regular long grain white rice will work too, but avoid instant or quick-cooking rice, brown rice, jasmine or basmati, which all require different liquid ratios and cook times.
- Fresh Parsley: A handful stirred in at the end or scattered on top adds a pop of freshness and color.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. Season and brown the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or ovenproof soup pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook until golden on both sides, flipping once, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Step 2. Brown the sausage. Add the sausage to the fat left in the pot and cook, stirring often, until it’s nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the bowl with the chicken.
Step 3. Sauté the vegetables. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the fat in the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, being careful not to brown. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute longer.
Step 4. Add the liquids, seasonings, chicken, and sausage. Pour in the chicken broth, clam juice, diced tomatoes, thyme, and cayenne. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot—they add great flavor. Return the chicken and sausage (along with any juices) to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
Step 5. Add the rice. Stir in the rice, then cover the pot and transfer it to the oven. Bake on the lower-middle rack at 350°F until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes, giving it a gentle stir once halfway through.
Pro tip: Finishing the jambalaya in the oven (instead of on the stovetop) helps the rice cook evenly and stay light and fluffy without scorching on the bottom.
Step 6. Add the shrimp. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Stir the shrimp into the rice mixture, cover, and bake until opaque, 5 to 7 minutes.
Step 7. Finish the dish. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and shred the meat. Gently stir the chicken and parsley (if using) into the rice. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Cover and let it sit for about 5 minutes so the chicken warms through—then dig in and enjoy!
More Cozy Southern Dishes Packed WiTh Flavor
Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1¾ lbs/794 g)
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 13 oz Andouille sausage, sliced ¼-inch (6-mm) thick
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1 (8-oz) bottle clam juice
- 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes, well drained
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups converted long-grain white rice, such as Ben's Original (see note)
- 1 lb extra-large shrimp (26 to 30 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat to 350°F (175°C).
- Season the chicken all over with the salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy oven-proof soup pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown the chicken on both sides, flipping once, about 8 minutes total; transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the sausage to the fat left in the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add to the bowl with the chicken.
- Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the fat in the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more (do not brown). Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the chicken broth, clam juice, diced tomatoes, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken and sausage back to the pot, along with any accumulated juices, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- Add the rice and stir to combine. Cover the pot, place in the oven, and cook until the rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes, gently stirring the rice once halfway through cooking.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Stir the shrimp into the rice mixture, cover, and continue to cook in the oven until the shrimp are opaque throughout, 5 to 7 minutes. Using two spoons, pull the chicken off the bones; discard skin and bones.
- Gently stir the pulled chicken and parsley (if using) into the rice. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Cover and let sit until the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve.
Notes
Pair with
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I am from Louisiana, and this recipe met all my Cajun requirements (deep flavors, rich base, seafood and sausage). And done in less than two hours! Excellent one pot dinner. Thanks for another well thought out recipe.
This is SO GOOD! Absolutely perfect recipe.
This is the first of many great recipes here that was a disappointment. As you warned in the notes, Uncle Ben’s rice works best. I didn’t have Uncle Ben’s rice, though, and the texture of the dish is complete mush. The flavor is good, but it is so mushy!
There must be a way to cook this without ruining the rice.
Sorry for the bad review, but this was a disaster.
Hi Betty, I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out for you. You’re right that converted rice gives the most reliable texture, but I’ve made it successfully with regular long-grain white rice, too, so I’m wondering if something else might be going on. By chance, was your rice instant or quick-cooking? Those types are fully pre-cooked and can easily turn mushy with this amount of liquid and baking time.
Wonderful recipe! I’ve tried many jambalaya recipes, and my husband says this one is his favorite. The leftovers were even better the next day!
Flavors were delicious but rice didn’t cook for a long long time. Even after close to an hour it was crunchy. Not sure how to rectify it, but it definitely wasn’t 25 mins in the oven.
Can I make this all on stovetop and not use the oven?
Hi Jo, It will work, but the rice will cook more evenly in the oven. If you want to make it on the stovetop, give it a few gentle stirs as it cooks to be sure the rice doesn’t scorch at the bottom.
This looks amazing! Could you use boneless skinless thighs? Also, what to serve with it? Thanks:-)
Hi Jill,
Yes, boneless, skinless thighs work just fine — you’ll get a touch less flavor (and rendered fat) than with bone-in, skin-on, but it’ll still be delicious. I’d skip the browning step and add them directly to the pot when you add the broth and seasonings. Just be sure to include the salt and pepper from the chicken seasoning step so it all balances out. As for sides, jambalaya’s a meal on its own, but a simple green salad or some cornbread is always a nice addition.
If I make this recipe without shrimp do you suggest to still use the clam juice?
Yep!
Can you make any/all of this recipe in advance?
Hi Helen, Yes it reheats nicely, even in the microwave. Make-ahead instructions are included at the bottom of the recipe card. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Would it be OK to leave out the tomatoes? My friend’s mom made a brown jambalaya. Not sure how she made it, but I really preferred it better.
Hi Nettie, Yes you can leave them out but you’ll need to increase the chicken broth to 2 to 2¼ cups. Hope you enjoy!
Can’t wait to try this! If adjusting to exclude the shrimp, I assume I would just add 5-7 minutes to the baking time?
Yep that’s correct. Please LMK how it turns out! 🙂