Chicken, Andouille, and Shrimp Jambalaya

As one of the most beloved dishes across Louisiana, jambalaya holds a special spot on many dining tables throughout the fall and winter. This quintessentially Louisiana dish likely grew from the state’s Spanish heritage and reflects the diversity of the area. Many jambalayas from New Orleans and southeast Louisiana include tomato, while Cajun jambalayas do not. Chicken, Andouille, and Shrimp Jambalaya combines some of our favorite Louisiana flavors.

Whether as a Sunday supper for family and friends or the centerpiece of a tailgating party, jambalayas are perfect for entertaining. It’s easy to double (or triple) Chicken, Andouille, and Shrimp Jambalaya batches, and ingredients can be added or removed to fit personal preferences and dietary requirements.

 

5.0 from 3 reviews
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Chicken, Andouille, and Shrimp Jambalaya
Yields: 12 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
  • 2 pounds boneless-skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1-inch cubes
  • 1½ cups chopped onion
  • 1½ cups chopped celery
  • 1½ cups chopped green bell pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups long-grain rice
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 1½ pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • Garnish: chopped green onion
Instructions
  1. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat; add sausage and chicken, and cook about 5 minutes or until browned. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, stirring for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add rice, and stir about 3 minutes until lightly toasted.
  2. Add tomatoes, and stir until juices are absorbed. Add broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine shrimp, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, paprika, cayenne, and parsley. Add shrimp to rice mixture, and stir until combined. Cook for 2 minutes 
or until shrimp are pink and firm. 
Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 
½ teaspoon black pepper.
  4. Garnish with green onion, 
if desired. Serve immediately.

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80 COMMENTS

  1. I can’t wait to try this,i love to cook and use my family to judge the food. So,i will be trying some other new recipes with this,just a combination of things,and see how well i did.

    • Main thing. When water is almost gone, put lid on and do not remove for at least 45 min. . Boil till water almost gone, turn to low for 30 min with lid on. Turn off with lid on 15 more min. Can go 45 min. Do not. Lift lid , rice will not cook right. Just saying .

  2. Holy cow was this good. I added some okra and did 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes and 1 10 oz can rotel tomatoes with chilis. .5 lb beer brats and .5 lb and andoullie. Best jambalaya I’ve had next to Buffa’s.

  8. Great recipe, I made Emril’s Essence for the spice. The best jambalaya, the restaurants in this area can’t compare.

  10. I made this tonight. I made my own stock through. I used the shrimp shells, I whole onion (with skin), one whole garlic clove (with skin), 2 celery stalks; cut, with leaves, salt and pepper. Cook until shrimp skins are pink. Add, one whole box chicken broth, one of the same containers, of water. Bring to a Boil, then simmer for 45 min to and hour. It added just enough more flavor for my liking! This was the perfect combination 🙂

    • I realize it’s been a long time since you posted your comment om broth for Jambalaya!
      Here’s my questiom: do you leave the shrimp shells in the whole time after they turn oink? And do you cover while simmering?

      Many thanks!
      Suzy
      Charlotte, NC

  12. Man, that was delicious! Only thing I would do different is substitute Old Bay for some of the spices. It would add that familiar flavor.

    • Here’s some back-of-the-envelope reducing:

      2 teaspoons vegetable oil
      1/3 pound andouille sausage, sliced
      2/3 pound boneless-skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1-inch cubes
      1/2 cup chopped onion
      1/2 cup chopped celery
      1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
      1 clove garlic, minced
      1 cups long-grain rice
      1/3 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes (about 9 ounces)
      1 2/3 cups chicken broth
      2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
      1 fresh bay leaf
      1/2 pound peeled and deveined large fresh shrimp
      2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
      1/3 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
      1/3 teaspoon smoked paprika
      1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
      2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
      Garnish: chopped green onion

      In Step 3, you’ll take half of the salt, and half of the pepper to make the spice mixture, then use the rest at the end of the step.

      The good news is that jambalaya is a very forgiving dish. If you add a little more or a little less diced tomato, you’ll still be fine.

      Because you’re reducing it, keep a close eye on the cooking temperature and cook times.

  14. This recipe was excellent. I’ve been making Jambalaya for many years after a trip to New Orleans in the late 80’s. Lost the original recipe but used to play it by ear. This time my daughter wanted to try making it and I automatically thought of this site. She tried this recipe and it was perfect the first time. Steps were very easy to understand for her (she’s 16 and still a beginner cook) It was incredible and thankfully more than enough food to feed all of us including her brother. It had just the right amount of heat also, though my daughter and I add a bit more heat as we love things spicy. I’ve since passed the link to this recipe to three other people who begged me for the recipe. Thank you so much.

  15. I’m making this today I read all your comments I’m going to take a little bit from each one and hopefully it will be wonderful I’ve made it before with mostly just the Louisiana Cajun packet that I’m going to do it all from seasonings and scratched oh time will tell

  16. I’m new to this and the directions to cook aren’t really clear.. im cooking chicken sausage and peppers onions and separately I’m boiling broth and tomatoes and rice til tender?

    • Thanks for asking! You actually add all of those elements to the same pot (e.g. the chicken and sausage are added first, five minutes later the vegetables are added, and so forth).

  18. Been cooking Jambalaya since I was 10 and wanted to try someone else’s recipe. This one was great. Just for everyone you can try ZingZang instead of chicken broth for a twist. Great Recipe

  20. I’m looking forward to making this for my dinner party of 10, I will double up on the sausage and shrimp, through in some extra heat, thanks for the recipe,

    • I substituted 2 cans of hot Rotel diced tomatoes with habaneros in place of a can of plain diced tomatoes and habanero chili power for cayenne. Perfect heat if you enjoy spicy….serve it with a warning. 🙂

  21. Can you tell me how to double this recipe…I don’t want to mess up the rice to liquid ratio. Having a Christmas party and would love to serve this. Thanks so much!

  27. Can this be made ahead of time, frozen, then thawed and reheated? I’m having a casual dinner party for 8 but don’t want to be cooking when guests are here. Also, do you have suggestions for side dishes?

    Thanks. I’m looking forward to trying this after all the rave reviews.

    • Jambalaya can be frozen for about 3 months, so yes, you can definitely reheat this after thawing. There’s a couple options here. You could do stovetop, though with guests arriving, that may be more labor intensive than you’re looking for. You can also put it in a Dutch oven, reheating in the oven at 325-F for about 25 minutes; you may want to add just a little broth or water to keep the rice from drying out. Then, there’s the always faithful Crock Pot or slow cooker option.

      • Thank you so much! I did end up freezing it so I’m glad to know a good way(s) to reheat it. By the way, the dish was a hit. People asked for seconds!

  28. Is it okay to freeze this dish to have for later?

    Also, to make it Cajun style, what would you use in place of the tomatoes?

    Thanks!

    • If you take the tomatoes out, the dish will need more broth to simmer in since you’ll lose the juices from the tomatoes. Try about half a cup to start, and if that isn’t enough, try another half.

  29. Making this for a progressive party. I need to make it ahead of time since I have the fourth course. Can I keep it warm in a Crock Pot?

    • Definitely! Just follow the recipe and when you finish, then move everything to your Crock Pot and set it to “Keep Warm.” That will keep this dish ready for your guests! I also recommend a slow cooker liner for easy cleaning post-dinner – sometimes rice can be pesky during clean-up.

  30. Don’t know if this will get through but I’m using smoked chicken instead of all white meat. I’m sure it will give a much better flavor.

  31. Can I substitute some shrimp/seafood stock for the chicken stock? I’m thinking no more than a 50/50 blend.

    • Hi Brad! Yes, you can, but it may change the flavor a bit. I would try 25/75 for the first attempt, and if that isn’t enough for you, then try 50/50 then next time you make it. Keep us posted on how it turns out!

  33. Hello chef I’d like to know if I could half the recipe and also I do not have fresh herbs what are the equivalent measurements for dried herbs in this recipe thank you much

    • Hi Danny! Dried herbs tend to be more concentrated than fresh, so for the fresh parsley and thyme, you will need 2 teaspoons of the dried herbs instead of the 2 tablespoons of fresh. You may only need one bay leaf if you’re using dried bay leaves but have a second one available, just in case.

  34. Im so excited to make this but i only want to make enough for 3 people. How would i cut the recipe to make it so it’s not so much?

    • Hi Yvonne! Cutting recipes can be tricky work, so we wouldn’t recommend cutting this recipe by more than half. This will leave you with plenty for second helpings or delicious leftovers.

  35. Made it tonight! Delicious! Love it. Thought first the spices were not a lot but it was perfect with a little kick to it.Great recipe!!!

  37. I live in California. I made this recipe for a Super Bowl crowd, many of whom are from New Orleans. Everyone loved it! One even said, “Wow, that’s amazing and you’re not even from the South!” Best compliment ever. Thanks for the recipe!

  38. I love this recipe. Best recipe ever easy to follow and simple to make. It is the only recipe i refer to when i make it. Only thing i do different is cook my rice separate. When ever i have cooked rice along with the recipe it is ethier undercooked or mushy. So i just prefer to add jambalaya over rice.
    Thank you.

  39. The flavor of this rocks! The rice was not good. Probably just a malfunction on my part. I will do this recipe 1,000 times more…but until I figure out my wrong doing for the rice part, I will cook the rice separate in chicken broth then add it in.

  40. I used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery….cheap, seasoned well and fast. I was using my mom’s old large cast iron pot and it ended up being a bit smaller than I expected so had to go with 2 cups rice, 4 cups broth and skipped the tomatoes. Tastes very good.

  41. Another thumbs up! This was my first-year making jambalaya at home and I’m glad I found this. Followed the recipe pretty closely, with the exception of using brown rice, which turned out good. Flavors are right on point. Next time it I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add some okra.

    Results are worth the effort, give it a try.

  42. I have made this recipe many, many times and it never fails. Over the years of making jambalaya I have often added lump crab, lobster and other seafood to the mixture right at the end just to kick it up a notch! I also like my jambalaya spicy, so I use “slap yo’ mama” seasoning mix throughout the cooking – adjusting as I go. Makes the jambalaya spicy without being too hot to handle! Ha! This is the most requested dinner I get from my son-in-law and he is from Lower Mississippi, when the pot ends up missing, I can guarantee that it made its way home with him! Thanks for sharing this recipe.

  43. The directions say to serve immediately, and that is key. It is not something you can make ahead of time. I tried. I cooked the sausage, chicken tomato mixture a day ahead. That worked. I then cooked the rice separately to add at the rewarming stage. I even tried to undercook the rice a bit. But after adding the rice to the jambalaya, warming the mixture, and stirring repeatedly, the rice fell to mush. It was delicious mush, but not lovely.

  47. I have made this at least 5 times. The first time I made it as directed with nothing added or substituted. It was delicious. Since that 1st time I have made it with the following substitutions yellow Spanish rice (my favorite),red pepper, shallots, chicken breast, linguicia, thin sliced carrots, sliced zucchini. Every time it is delicious. It’s a great recipe to use if your veggie drawer needs a clean out.

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