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Overhead photo of a large skillet filled with jambalaya
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5 from 2 votes

Jambalaya

This zesty Jambalaya never fails to impress! It's loaded with shrimp, chicken and sausage and is made in one large pot or deep skillet. Perfect for entertaining a crowd!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine: Cajun, Creole
Keyword: Chicken, one-pot meal, rice, sausage, shrimp
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 555kcal
Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped (2-3 ribs)
  • 1 1/4 cups red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups green pepper, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 8 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 2 cups long grain rice, uncooked
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. Creole seasoning, I use Tony Chachere's
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
  • 1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
  • 1 1/2 lb. shrimp, cleaned and deveined
  • chopped fresh parsley and hot sauce for garnish if desired

Instructions

  • Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in an extra large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan and cook, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes until nicely browned and mostly cooked through. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon to a plate.
  • Add remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to the pan along with onions, celery, and peppers and cook for 5-6 minutes, until softened, stirring to loosen brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.
  • Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, rice, seasonings, sausage and cooked chicken and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once mixture starts to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring often for 25-30 minutes or until rice is cooked.
  • Stir in shrimp and continue to cook, stirring often until shrimp are pink and cooked through.
  • Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

You can use either a Dutch oven for this recipe or a very deep, large skillet if you have one. I actually recommend the Dutch oven so you don't need to worry about the skillet overflowing on your stove.
You can also half this recipe for a smaller crowd.
You can use smoked sausage for this recipe or andouille sausage. I use either Johnsonville or Aidells.

Nutrition

Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 962mg | Potassium: 963mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2295IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 3mg