X

Jambalaya

Last Updated on August 12, 2022

NOTE: This recipe can be cut in half and all proteins don’t have to be used (i.e. shrimp can be omitted) but are highly recommended.

Serves 6 to 8
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 small green bell pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced ¼-inch thick
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil, or any high smoke point oil of your choosing
1 pound boneless chicken thighs or breast, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons unsalted Cajun seasoning such as AIRIS FOODS Cajun spice*, divided
one 14- ounces can crushed tomatoes
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 cups parboiled long grain white rice, such as Carolina Gold or Mahatma
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Hot sauce to taste
2 scallions, sliced thin, white and green part kept separate

In a 4 quart Dutch oven over medium heat melt the butter.  Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the celery, and cook, stirring 1 minute. Add the peppers and garlic, and cook briefly, until softened. Add the andouille and cook until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, season the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the Cajun Seasoning.  In a separate large saute pan over medium high heat, heat the grapeseed oil and add the chicken. Saute the chicken until it is lightly browned but not cooked through.

To the Dutch oven add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme and the remaining 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning or to taste and bring to a boil.

Add the chicken and the rice, bring back up to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked.

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. 5 minutes before the rice is done, add the seasoned shrimp to the pot and cook, covered, until the rice is just cooked through.

When rice and shrimp are fully cooked, adjust seasoning – add the white part of the scallions a few dashes of hot sauce. Spoon onto plates and garnish with the scallion greens.

*AirisFoods cajun spice can be found here.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Sponsors

 

Oceania Cruises is the world’s leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line. The line’s seven small, luxurious ships carry no more than 1,250 guests and feature The Finest Cuisine at Sea® and destination-rich itineraries that span the globe. Expertly curated travel experiences aboard the designer-inspired, small ships call on more than 450 marquee and boutique ports across Europe, Alaska, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, New England-Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Tahiti and the South Pacific in addition to the epic 180-day Around the World Voyages. The brand has an additional 1,200-guest Vista Class ship on order for delivery in 2025.

35 Responses to Jambalaya


  1. Karen Robinson says:

    I have been looking for a really good Jambalaya recipe. My daughters make theirs with maybe a little too much hot sauce. Thank you!

  2. Lynnette Mahler says:

    Hello, I am from New Orleans, Louisiana and I have long been a fan of your shows. I saw that you were cooking Louisiana Jambalaya, I was thrilled. The recipe is very close to my gammy’s recipe, the one that I go to all the time and the same one that brings oohs and aahs when served. The only difference is that I cook my rice separately and add it as needed to the tomato and meat base. The key to a good jambalaya, per my Gammy, is the bell pepper and the smoked sausage. I use 2 large bell peppers in my version and never use andouille since it is often hard to find in my new home state, TN. Once when we were at the camp in Cocodrie, LA, with not much more than salt and pepper and a little sassafras, and a ton of Zatarain’s seafood boil, we used water from the crab boil pot, before we added the seafood to the pot to boil, to cook the jambalaya, Zatarain’s seasonings from the seafood boil pot was enough to make the jambalaya seasoned fairly well. Thank you for taking me down the memory trail to my Gammy’s house on any weeknight for a big bowl of jambalaya. We had her homemade french bread, she called it a baguette in her broken Cajun French/English, and potato salad to round out the dish. I just had to let you know that you did a great service to me this Saturday morning, thank you, and keep those great shows coming!

    • moulton says:

      Lynette,
      What a lovely memory! Thanks so much for sharing it!!

    • Pat Schock says:

      Delicious! My new go to jambalaya and I am from the Gulf Coast and love it! For the TN resident who can’t find andouille Main Street Meats in Chattanooga makes the best I have ever had!

  3. Jan Stage says:

    Love anything creole and this Jambalaya is going to be my next choice. Thank you Chef Airis, for sharing this with us!!

  4. Melody Watson says:

    Who created this recipe ?

  5. Watched the show, would like the seasoning breakdown, individual like show, salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and etc. How much thyme and bay leaves? Not listed in recipe ingredients?

    • moulton says:

      Cynthia,
      If you don’t want to order and use Aris’ Cajun spice mix (I added a link so you can order it) you can substitute the one I used in the same episode on the blackened fish.

    • moulton says:

      Cynthia,
      If you don’t want to use Airis’ mail order Cajun spice you could buy some Cajun mix from the store or use the spice mix I put together for the blackened fish in the same episode as the jambalaya.

  6. Deborah Harris says:

    Bay leaves & thyme are not listed in the ingredients but are listed in the recipe instructions. How many bay leaves? How much thyme? Frsh or dry?
    Thanks

  7. DORIS Smith says:

    Terrific show !

  8. Joan Stamp says:

    The jambalaya looks wonderful. Where can I buy ARIS Cajun Spice? I’m not seeing it anywhere.

  9. I have a diabetic cookbook and this recipe was in it. It is delicious and it is the same recipe except for the spices. It calls for chili paste. Extremely delicious and good for you and it can feed hungry men, which is always a problem for me since they are huge eaters. This recipe hit all the marks of fast, variety in ingredients , and most of all delicious.

  10. Marilyn says:

    We made this according to recipe, except reduced the added Cajun spice from 2 Tbsp to 1 and it was WAY too hot! We like spicy, will make again, cutting the spice. We used a homemade Cajun spice mix, 1 Tbsp of each, cayenne, oregano, paprika and black pepper.

    • moulton says:

      Marilyn
      I can see why it is hot with 1 tablespoon of cayenne! I am glad though that you are willing to try it again with less spice.

  11. Marilyn Roan says:

    PS: we just added 2 cups of plain cooked rice to temper the heat and it’s delicious!

  12. Cheryl Atkins says:

    Hi. I love your show. The jambalaya in your “Creole Kitchen Secrets” episode looks fantastic and I can’t wait to make it. What brand of vessel (braiser?) did you cook it in? Thank you.

  13. Sandra says:

    Delicious
    Makes lots and would do again

  14. Donna Andrews says:

    Hello Sara,

    I wanted to thank you for sharing Airis’ Jambalaya recipe! It has been years since my working and visiting in Louisiana and the food experiences still remain.

    Your “Everyday Family Dinner” is the winner in my house!

    Regards,
    Donna Andrews

  15. Catherine Tumminello says:

    Looks wonderful and Sara is terrific

  16. Audrey Andrews says:

    Going to make this

  17. Nancy says:

    I have made jambalaya all my life For some reason I decided to try your recipe and OMG this is better than anything I have ever made

  18. Charky Clark says:

    Made this today and it did not disappoint. It’s a bit of prep work but beyond that very easy to make. Definitely keep the shrimp in the recipe. It’s a winner. Thanks Sara.

  19. Sandy says:

    On the show you made up the Cajun spice mix. Was it equals measures of each spice? If not, can you specify each measurement?

    • moulton says:

      Sandy,
      That was Aris’ special recipe which she bottles and sells under AIRIS FOODs
      If you don’t want to purchase her spice mix here is one that will be a good substitute:
      Creole Spice Mix: Mix 4 teaspoons hot paprika, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 1/2 cup.

  20. Diane Geschwind says:

    Fantastic! Definitely a repeat meal! Loved by all!

  21. Beverly Bowe says:

    Much too spicy even though I only used 2 Tbsp. Cajun seasonings.
    after eating some of the shrimp, chicken and andouille sausage I removed it from the dish and saved the rice. Any suggestions for making the rice less hot? I just hate to throw that rice away with all the good seasonings, but it is just too hot to eat .
    Thank you.

  22. Rob says:

    My results were good and my dinner guest praised it, but I didn’t care for the rice. It was al dente and reminded me of cheap instant rices I’ve tried. Next time I will try regular long grain rice. Any other type of rice that would work well??

    • Sara Moulton says:

      By all means try the rice you feel comfortable with.

      • Rob says:

        I was not sure what sauce to use but I saw your guest of the episode had a bottle of Frank’s cayenne sauce(although it was taped off I could still tell 😉 which I’ve been meaning to try as I’ve found out it’s the authentic sauce used for buffalo sauce. I’ve now discovered my new hot sauce addiction 😉 Thanks for providing me with that.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*  
  

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.