This is a colorful, delicious and easy Chicken Jambalaya recipe – all in one pot! It’s great to serve at parties and it reheats well. It’s a bold and zesty dish packed with Cajun jambalaya flavors!

A Chicken Jambalaya recipe is Cajun comfort food, packed with flavor. The holy trinity of Cajun/Creole cooking – onion, celery, and bell peppers – is married up with chicken andouille sausage, seasoned with garlic, herbs and Cajun spices!
How To Make This Chicken Jambalaya Recipe – Step By Step
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.
Give the jambalaya a good stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!


What Is Jambalaya?
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.
It’s hearty, tasty and easy!

How Spicy Is This Chicken Jambalaya Recipe?
This is not a super hot dish, it’s got a nice heat but won’t burn off you buds! For a spicier jambalaya, you can add one or two jalapeños. And then you can always add cayenne at the end if you’d like.
Substitutes For Andouille Sausage
If you can’t find andouille sausage, you can go for….
- Mexican chorizo sausage (comes close to andouille in flavour, but not in texture)
- Kielbasa
- Any Polish smoked sausage
Top Tips For This Chicken Jambalaya Recipe
- 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.
- Before serving, make sure to check your seasonings and adjust accordingly.
- You can substitute Andouille sausage for another smoked sausage.
The perfect bite
Make sure to cut your chicken into bite size pieces, for even cooking and making things easier to bite!

Check Out These Other Delicious Chicken And Rice Dishes
Have you tried this Chicken Jambalaya recipe? Feel free to leave a star rating and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

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!!