New Orleans Jambalaya

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This scrumptious New Orleans jambalaya recipe has been on my mind all month long! This weekend I’m packing my bags. On Monday morning I’m flying out to New Orleans!!! I feel so blessed to have been invited to mastermind with a wonderful group of creative women in one of the most festive cities in the USA. While I’m there I look forward to enjoying some authentic New Orleans jambalaya for dinner followed by a little bag of beautiful puffy beignets for dessert. I am so darn excited!

Jambala with sausage, shrimp and chicken served in a cast-iron pan with a wooden spoon.

This yummy jambalaya recipe is a fabulous taste of New Orleans. What you’ll love most about preparing New Orleans jambalaya is that it’s an easy one-pot meal. I know that you and I are on the exact same page in looking for ways to free ourselves up so we can spend more quality time with our families. Life is fast-paced and hectic, so it’s more important than ever to find quick and easy recipes that will allow us to sit down at the table with our families and enjoy a delicious meal together. Spending time connecting with one another after a busy day keeps families bonded and tight, and encourages the doors of communication to remain wide open.

New Orleans Jambalaya made with smoked sausage, shrimp, chicken and veggies.

A traditional New Orleans Jambalaya recipe includes onions, garlic, Cajun seasonings, a bevy of bright colorful bell peppers, chicken, shrimp, and delicious smoked sausage.

Jambala with sausage, shrimp and chicken served in a cast-iron pan with a wooden spoon.

For this mouth-watering New Orleans jambalaya recipe I use Eckrich Original Skinless Smoked Sausage. It’s naturally hardwood smoked with a true smokehouse taste. On other occasions you can mix things up with Polska Kielbasa Skinless Smoked Sausage,  Original Natural Casing Smoked Sausage, and Polska Kielbasa Natural Casing Smoked Sausage. With all of these awesome choices available, it’s easy to make versatile family meals that are quick, satisfying and downright scrumptious.

Jambalaya

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make a spectacular New Orleans jambalaya: olive oil, celery, red onion, bell peppers (I use a colorful blend of green, red, yellow and orange), garlic, jalapeno, boneless/skinless chicken breasts, Eckrich Smoked Sausage, shrimp, okra, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, long-grain rice and spices.

Spices, chicken broth, and rice for jambalaya recipe.

Because a store-bought jar of Cajun spices is not available everywhere, I love making my own homemade Cajun spice blend. It gives me the opportunity to dial up the heat when cooking for teens and adults that love spicy foods, or dial things down for family dinners with small children. My special Cajun spice mix includes easy-to-find spices that you may already have on hand: paprika, sea salt, black pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper. I also use two bay leaves for this jambalaya recipe.

Ingredients for authentic New Orleans jambalaya laid out on a rustic blue table.

To make this New Orleans jambalaya a quick one-pot meal, I do a little prep work the night before. I chop up the celery, bell peppers, and onions and refrigerate them in a zippered plastic bag. I chop up the chicken, slice the sausage, remove the shrimp tails and put them each in a separate container. The next evening when I’m ready to prepare my quick and easy New Orleans jambalaya recipe it’s a snap to get dinner made, on the table, and ready to enjoy with the family.

Colorful veggies being sauteed on the stovetop in a cast-iron pan.

Start by adding 2 tablespoons of oil to a large cast-iron pan that has a lid. If your cast-iron pan doesn’t have a lid you can use a Dutch oven or another type of large, heavy pan.

Bell peppers, onions, garlic and jalapenos being sauteed on the stovetop in a cast-iron pan.

Add in the celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno.

Jambalaya Recipe

Saute the veggies over medium-high heat until they just start to become tender. On my gas stovetop this process takes about 4 minutes flat.

Jambalaya Recipe

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the chicken and smoked sausage to the pan with the veggies. Continue to saute everything until the chicken is no longer pink and looks like it’s almost completely cooked. Ahhh…the delicious savory smells rising from your stovetop and floating through your kitchen will get everyone excited about eating jambalaya for dinner!

Jambalaya Recipe

Add chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, seasonings and two bay leaves. With a wooden spoon, stir everything together until well combined. Cover the pan with a lid, turn down the heat to medium-low and allow the ingredients to simmer, stirring every five minutes until the rice is tender and cooked. On my stovetop this takes 25 minutes. The reason I stir the rice often is to make sure it doesn’t start sticking to the bottom of the pan and burn.

A skillet with freshly-made New Orleans jambala.

Once the rice is done, fold the shrimp and okra into the mixture. Cover the pan again and allow the shrimp to cook until it’s no longer pink. This only takes about five minutes.

New Orleans Jambalaya served in a Staub universal pan with a wooden spoon.

Your scrumptious jambalaya recipe is now complete! It’s time to garnish your jambalaya with a few sliced green onions, fresh parsley, and if you’d like – a few colorful slices of bell pepper.

Authentic New Orleans Jambalaya in a cast iron skillet.

Take a moment to stand back and truly admire your beautiful, festive New Orleans jambalaya! Soon it will be enjoyed by your family and you’ll be receiving a lot of compliments. If your family is anything like mine, there might not be any leftovers for the following day. But hey, that’s okay! The important thing about dinnertime with your family is having the opportunity to converse with one another in a meaningful way. My family likes to share stories of what happened that day, brainstorm ideas and problem solve, celebrate accomplishments, and basically just feel the love that expands between all of us around the table.

An individual serving of jambalaya in a black bowl with a fork.

During the fall and winter seasons jambalaya is a warm, cozy, hearty meal that your family will absolutely love. This evening after my husband served himself a bowl of my yummy New Orleans jambalaya and took his first bite, he said “this is really great – I especially love the sausage!” I just smiled to myself because I knew the secret ingredient that makes this New Orleans jambalaya so incredibly special. It’s the inclusion of time-honored Eckrich Smoked Sausage.


For more recipe inspiration and easy 15- to 35-minute meal ideas, be sure to visit Everyday Meals by Eckrich.

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New Orleans Jambalaya

New Orleans Jambalaya Recipe


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4.9 from 37 reviews

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Description

Jambalaya is a classic Cajun recipe you can customize with lots of meat and veggies.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2  ribs of celery, chopped
  • 1 medium red onion, diced
  • 3 small bell peppers (combination of green, red, yellow, orange), chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, cored, seeded and diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 14-ounce package of Eckrich Smoked Sausage, sliced
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups long-grain rice
  • Homemade Cajun spice blend (see ingredients below)
  • 1 pound raw shrimp, deveined and tail removed
  • 1 + 1/4 cup okra
  • Optional garnishes: green onions and fresh parsley leaves

HOMEMADE CAJUN SPICE BLEND – MIX ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER

  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 + 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or less if you don’t like spicy foods!)

Instructions

  1. In a large heavy pan with a lid, add two tablespoons of olive oil. Add in the celery, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Saute the veggies over medium-high heat until they begin to get tender. On my gas stovetop this takes about four minutes.
  2. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add another two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan with the veggies. Fold in the chicken and Eckrich Smoked Sausage. Continue to saute everything until the chicken is almost cooked and no longer pink.
  3. Add in the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, rice, and homemade Cajun seasoning blend. Mix with a wooden spoon to combine all ingredients. Add two bay leaves. Cover the pan with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low. Allow the jambalaya to simmer until the rice is fully cooked and tender. On my stovetop this takes 25 minutes. While the jambalaya is simmering, stir the ingredients every 4-5 minutes to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.
  4. Fold in the shrimp and okra. Cover the pan again and allow the shrimp to cook until done. Once done, remove the two bay leaves from the pot. Do a taste test and see if you need to add in some additional salt and pepper or slightly increase the heat with a sprinkling of more cayenne pepper.
  5. Your delicious jambala is ready to be garnished with green onions and fresh parsley leaves. Serve and enjoy!
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night, Potluck, Party
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American, Cajun, Southern

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New Orleans Jambalaya Recipe > Your Thoughts

After preparing a quick and easy meal with Eckrich Smoked Sausage what will you do with your free time? Will you read a book with your children, spend more quality time with your teenagers, or cozy up with your husband and watch a movie? What do you think about this New Orleans Jambalaya recipe? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

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71 Comments

  1. A very good recipe. I didn’t go to the trouble to get chicken, so added just the shrimp and kielbasa for meat= but everything else (excluding okra).

    This was very good, and I will use this recipe again.






  2. That was very good. I made it 3 times differently. First, I followed the recipe without making any alterations. It was good but the next time I cooked rice separately and it was better. The third time I added 14 oz diced tomatoes and 1 1/2 tbsp creole seasoning instead of salt and pepper and it turned out great. It is so quick and easy! Thank you very much for the recipe!!!

  3. Wow thank you for sharing your recipe it was so flavorful. I had to share it with my daughter too!






  4. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. I have made it 3x in the past 3 months and I’m making it today for Sunday dinner. I give it 5 stars review. Absolutely 💯

  5. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Nice and easy to prepare. Really tasty, the family loved it. South Africa!






    1. Robert, I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed this authentic NOLA jambalaya! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment and share your experience with this tasty recipe.

  6. Totally delicious. Cooked it about four times now. Try making your own Cajun spice mix, it’s nice and easy and the difference between the bought stuff and the fresh is immense. Top recipe, thank you






  7. This recipe was perfect! I made a few minor adjustments for my liking but this was a great guide. It tastes so delicious!!!






  8. Amazing! Making it for the second time and using Andouille Sausage this time around from Eastern Market in Detroit. Colors and flavors on point – only use 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

    1. Hello Sandra! I’m so happy you love this New Orleans Jambalaya recipe! I’m actually replying to you right now from Bourbon Street in New Orleans. My husband and I flew back here to this beautiful city to continue tasting and collecting authentic food and drink recipes to share with you here on Confetti and Bliss! Stay tuned for more Cajun and Creole recipes.

  9. Love love love this recipe. I made 15 servings and used beef smoked sausage and shrimp as my proteins, minus the okra. I used fresh minced garlic, both Slap Ya Mama Seasoning and Tony Chachere Creole Seasoning for some New Orleans heat. My family loves it! It was easy once all the prep work was done! Definitely a must keep!






  10. Whoa nelly! My husband just asked me to pin this recipe because it is so good! The spices are spòt on and The only ingredient I didn’t add was the jalapeños but I’m ok with that. Thank you for this recipe, we will be adding it to our favorite recipes we’ve tried and continue to make!






  11. Made this for supper tonight and it was delicious. I have never had jambalaya before so I can’t speak to its authentixity or if it tastes like jambalaya, but it was so good. My husband doesn’t like peppers and he tolerates them and my 4 year old ate it all up!






    1. Robyn, thank you so much for sharing your feedback on this yummy jambalaya recipe. You’ve made my day! In comparison to the jambalaya I enjoyed in NOLA, this recipe’s really close. It’s an authentic taste of New Orleans!

  12. Other than using a commercial Cajun spice blend (instead of the recommended homemade blend), I followed this recipe a month ago and my girlfriend and I loved it! I just finished making two more batches for my friends to enjoy on an upcoming canoe camping trip.

    Since I had the luxury of cooking at home (not camp cooking in field conditions), for the two canoe trip batches I went slightly “off-recipe” by using chicken tenderloin strips instead of chicken breasts, and I used frozen pre-cooked shrimp instead of frozen fresh shrimp. Also, after cutting into small pieces the chicken and sausage meats, I used separate skillets to slow fry in olive oil those two ingredients — the idea being that browning the pieces would intensify the flavor of the chicken and sausage pieces prior to adding them to the sauteed veggies? Then, but withholding the shrimp, I simmered the jambalaya mixture until all ingredients were well-blended.

    Then I moved the pot into my refrigerator to cool overnight so that, while cooling, the ingredient flavors would blend even more. Next morning, I heated the jambalaya pot just enough to make the contents stir-ably warm. THEN I stirred in the one pound of shrimp andI portioned the jambalaya into 1-quart zip-top freezer bags and placed the bags in my freezer. The idea being to maximize the fresh taste of the shrimp by not having them get hot until the final warming at our campsite?

    My buddies are used to eating hot dogs and burgers when we camp on the river. They won’t know what hit ’em once they get into the jambalaya made from this excellent recipe. Along with the jambalaya I’m serving them two kinds of French baguette slices; one kind treated with butter and garlic salt, the other with olive oil and sea salt. They may never eat hot dogs again.

  13. Hey Denay
    The Jambalaya recipe quite delicious.Going to try this Sunday. Can I also add mushrooms while making this recipe though first I am gonna try the way you cooked.
    Thanks for the recipe.






  14. With such variety of spices and veggies- this is surely nutritious. I would like to try making it one of these days.

  15. I have been looking for a few new recipes to change up our routine. This Jambalaya looks so delicious and easy to make. I will have to get all the ingredients I need to make it for dinner this weekend.

  16. I never made Jamalaya, because I’m Don’t eat shrimp of pork. However, I think I can make a substitutes. Sharing it with my gal pals who love shrimp. It’s too colorful and pretty not to make.

  17. I actually just tried Jambalaya for the first time this past summer, and I really liked it. This recipe looks amazing.






  18. I live about 40min away from New Orleans and we eat Jambalaya very often. I love seeing different takes on the meal!






  19. reading this made me hungry and made me miss NOLA! coming from thailand, i love spicy and trying a different spice is always interesting!

  20. Such vibrant colors in this dish! I have never tried it before but I would love to make it soon! I will have to jot down these ingredients so I can remember to buy them on my next grocery run!






  21. This looks and sounds so delicious! I have never had jambalaya before but after reading this recipe, be sure than i’ll try it at home!

  22. Yummy Yummy, I am going to have to attempt to make this. Looks easy enough and super delicious looking! On another note, that Halloween Snack mix is super cute, think I may have to try it with the kids






    1. Okra doesn’t go in New Orleans Jambalaya. It goes in certain types of Gumbo. Also, no need to stir the rice to keep from burning. Simmer on very low and it will be perfect. We don’t ever lift the lid after we put the rice in.

      Taught to make jambalaya by my born and raised in New Orleans mother.

      Now I need to go make some!

  23. I’m normally not a fan of shrimp, but this looks so good that I’m going to give it a try! I love that all of the ingredients are fresh and healthy.