This Chicken Jambalaya recipe is Cajun comfort food that’s packed with flavor. The holy trinity of Cajun cooking – onion, celery, and bell peppers – is married up with chicken andouille sausage and seasoned with garlic, herbs and plenty of bold spices. It’s anything but bland!
What’s in Cajun Chicken Jambalaya
With ingredients like Cajun seasoning and garlic, you know that this easy chicken dinner is bound to make your mouth water!
- Chicken Breasts: Make sure to cut your chicken into bite size pieces, for even cooking and making things easier to bite!
- Cajun Seasoning: Any brand works, so just use your favorite.
- Olive Oil: Avocado oil also gets the job done if preferred.
- Andouille Sausage: You can substitute andouille sausage for another smoked sausage.
- Onion: I like to use white onions, but yellow onions will also do the trick.
- Celery: Always rinse your celery prior to chopping it to get rid of any dirt or residue.
- Bell Peppers: You’ll need a red and a green bell pepper.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic should be used here for the very best flavor – not pre-minced!
- Crushed Tomatoes: You can crush fresh tomatoes. However, I find it easiest to just pop open a can!
- Dried Oregano: This gives the best herbaceous note. A little goes a long way!
- Chicken Broth: Homemade chicken broth is my favorite to use!
- White Rice: You just can’t have jambalaya without it.
PRO TIP: Some dishes like soup, stew, and chili just get better with time. Jambalaya is not one of those things! Mainly because if you let it cook it for too long, you’ll cook all the moisture out of it. You want it nice and wet. So wait until the end of your cooking time to put the rice in so it doesn’t overcook.
Is chicken jambalaya spicy?
This is not a super hot dish. It’s got a nice heat but won’t burn off your buds! For a spicier jambalaya, you can add one or two jalapeños. You can always add cayenne at the end if you’d like.
Jambalaya is a popular Louisiana-origin dish of Spanish, French, and West African influence, consisting mainly of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Traditionally, the meat always includes sausage of some sort, often a smoked meat such as andouille, along with pork or chicken and seafood, such as crawfish or shrimp.
Cajun seasoning is a bold blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne powder, salt, pepper, and dried herbs.
You have a few options! Mexican chorizo sausage (comes close to andouille in flavour, but not in texture) works well. You can also opt for kielbasa or any Polish smoked sausage if preferred.
How to Store and Reheat
Let the jambalaya fully cool to room temperature prior to storing it in an airtight container. In the fridge, it’ll stay fresh for about 3-4 days. Microwave your leftovers in 30 second intervals, stirring each time it stops, until warmed all the way through.
How to Freeze
Freeze chicken jambalaya in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to date and label!
Serving Suggestions
This chicken jambalaya is a great meal all by itself! You don’t really need to worry about a side dish here. If you do want to serve it more of a NOLA flair, consider shaking up a hurricane cocktail!
More One Pan Chicken Recipes We Love
- Pineapple Chicken
- Cajun Butter Chicken
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice
- Stuffed Buffalo Chicken
- Caramel Chicken
- Cajun Chicken
- See all of our One Pot Chicken Recipes!
Best Chicken Jambalaya Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning divided
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 pound Andouille sausage sliced into rounds
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can 14.5 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cups white rice
Instructions
- Season the chicken pieces with 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated, add the chicken to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes until browned on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Heat another tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add in the sausage, cooking until browned. Transfer the sausage to the plate with the chicken.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add in the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper, and sauté until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of Cajun seasoning, oregano, chicken broth, and rice. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the rice has cooked and the liquid has absorbed. Stir in the chicken and sausage and cook until everything is heated through.
- Give the jambalaya a good stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
sondra says
At what point, after the chicken and sausage is pre-cooked, did you add the chicken and sausage back into the pot with the onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery?
Becky Hardin says
Add it back in at step 4!
Lori Davis says
Ok…when do you put the chicken and sausage back in??
Becky Hardin says
Step 4! 🙂
Eliana says
Delicious recipe! I made it today! My family already requested to make it again!
Very easy to make and very tasty!
Thank you so much for sharing it!
Becky Hardin says
Thank you, Eliana! I’m glad you all loved it so much!
Glen Clementi says
Amazingly delicious! My wife & I have been cooking cajun jambalaya for years & today we decided to try a new recipe. This one beats all previous recipes hands down! Will add to our weekly/monthly family menu!
Becky Hardin says
That made my day!! I’m so happy you all loved it so much!
emanuel says
You surely mean 2 celery ribs, rather than 2 stalks.
Lynn Huartson says
I loved this recipe it tasted great
Becky Hardin says
Thanks for sharing, Lynn!
April says
This was so good! I was afraid it would be too spicy for my 5 and 10 year old kids, but they really enjoyed it and said it had just the right amount of spice!
Will it freeze well? I’m starting Whole30 tomorrow and don’t want the leftovers to go to waste.
Becky Hardin says
I haven’t attempted that yet!
Trish says
Mine came out a little too watery for our liking following the recipe but it was very tasty so definitely a keeper.
Becky Hardin says
Oh no!
Amanda W says
What is the serving size for this recipe?
Becky Hardin says
This serves about six people, give or take!
Ondrea says
My family loved it. I just substituted turkey sausage for the other sausage and used whole grain rice instead of white.
Becky Hardin says
Thanks for sharing!!