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    Home » Recipes » Chicken

    Modified: Jul 9, 2023 · Published: Jul 30, 2020 by Melinda O'Malley Keckler · This post may contain affiliate links · this blog generates income from ads.

    The Best Jambalaya

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    The Best Jambalaya is a flavorful, vibrant dish that originates from Louisiana. It includes tender chicken, spicy sausage and a combination of perfectly steamed rice, onions and celery. Here's another big plus, this recipe makes enough to feed a crowd. Serve it with homemade Potato Rolls for a comforting meal that everyone will love!

    A scoop of jambalaya on a plate with a fork.
    Jambalaya tastes as good as it looks. A classic Southern staple.
    Jump to:
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • ⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • 💭Recipe FAQs
    • ⏲️ Time-Saving Tip
    • 🍚Steam Before Serving
    • ⭐ The Inspiration
    • 🍽 Southern Comfort Food
    • 📋Other Dinner Favorites
    • 👩🏻‍🍳More Chicken Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    🥘 Ingredients

    • Chicken breasts, about 3 pounds or shredded rotisserie chicken
    • Ground sausage, Jimmy Dean Sage variety
    • Beef Smoked Sausage, Hillshire Farm
    • Celery
    • Green onions
    • Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice
    • Long-grain white rice
    • Better than Bouillon, chicken
    • Cavender's seasoning
    • Cayenne pepper

    ⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe

    The Best Jambalaya achieves a beautiful balance between spices, meats, and vegetables. It goes well with Crunchy Cole Slaw or oven-roasted Brussels Sprouts.

    The flavors meld together seamlessly, with no single ingredient overpowering the others.

    The heat from the spices will vary depending on the variety of spices and sausage you choose.

    But that heat is complemented by the natural sweetness of the vegetables and the richness of the savory chicken.

    💭Recipe FAQs

    Are there good meat substitutions?

    For sure! That's one of my favorite things about the best jambalaya recipe - there's room for plenty of versatility. I think everyone who makes jambalaya has their own unique spin on things.

    I've substituted leftover ham for the beef smoked sausage and it was wonderful. Use chicken thighs instead of breasts or add your favorite variety of ground sausage.

    Fluffy rice and a variety of meats, this is one of the most delicious meals!
    Raw chicken breasts and celery with water in a large stockpot.
    No need to use an exact amount of water, you'll just want enough to cover the chicken. About 8 cups of water is usually the right amount.

    ⏲️ Time-Saving Tip

    The chicken cooks quickly in your large stockpot with celery. But, as an option, and as a (big!) timesaver, buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Remove the skin, dice the chicken meat and you are set.

    Diced celery, onion and sausage in a large stock pot.
    Here's where the flavor starts getting serious! The celery, onions and sausage soften in a large stockpot.

    🍚Steam Before Serving

    Probably the most important step in making the perfect pot of jambalaya is allowing time for the ingredients to steam.

    Pro Tip: After everything has simmered for about 45 minutes, be sure to allow plenty of time with the heat turned off - at least 15 minutes.

    This gives the flavors time to combine and the rice will be perfect.

    Jambalaya ingredients in a large stock pot.
    So much great flavor in jambalaya! And we can thank all those meats and spices for it.

    ⭐ The Inspiration

    Recipes like this one with a connection to a special region are always best when they are shared by someone who lives there.

    I'm proud to say this recipe for the best jambalaya is from my sister-in-law's family and they have a long connection to Louisiana.

    I've enjoyed eating this jambalaya for years at family gatherings, and now I get to share it with you!

    A scoop of jambalaya on a plate with a fork.
    Jambalaya tastes as good as it looks. A classic southern staple

    🍽 Southern Comfort Food

    Everyone has a different take on this hearty, southern favorite. Some folks include shrimp, a unique mix of spices or various types of rice.

    But whatever the combination, it is always a time-honored version of jambalaya and comfort food at its best.

    When someone shares their special family recipe it's quite a thrill. Many thanks to Jack and MeMe Owen for sharing their delicious recipe with the Crinkled Cookbook!

    MeMe and Jack Owen sitting at a table.
    Photo courtesy of MeMe and Jack Owen. These two are experts at entertaining, southern hospitality, and great cooking.

    📋Other Dinner Favorites

    Here are some other ideas for dinner, all of these recipes also call for chicken as one of the main ingredients.

    • Skillet Chicken Tacos, the chicken is seasoned with familiar Mexican spices along with crunchy cabbage, fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.  So good!
    • Tamale Casserole tastes just like your favorite tamales but is ready to eat in much less time.
    • Pot Pie, talk about comfort food. Whether you use chicken or turkey to make your pot pie, this recipe is a winner, winner chicken dinner!
    • Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese, a creamy and satisfying combination of squash, cheese and pasta.

    👩🏻‍🍳More Chicken Recipes

    • A gravy bowl full of gravy with a serving spoon.
      Better Than Bouillon Gravy Recipe (Make-Ahead)
    • A serving of chicken stuffing casserole on a plate with salad on the side and a fork.
      Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
    • Chicken with crispy panko breading in a skillet.
      Chicken with Panko Breading
    • A large spoon dishing up a serving a chicken spaghetti from a baking dish.
      Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel and Velveeta

    If you tried The Best Jambalaya or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below.

    Recipe

    A scoop of jambalaya on a plate with a fork.

    The Best Jambalaya

    The Best Jambalaya is a flavorful, vibrant dish that originates from Louisiana. It includes tender chicken, spicy sausage and a combination of perfectly steamed rice, onions and celery.
    4.99 from 56 votes
    Print Rate Pin Recipe
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 12 people
    Calories: 643kcal
    Author: Melinda O'Malley Keckler

    Ingredients 

    • 6 chicken breasts - about 3 lbs or use one rotisserie chicken
    • 8 cups water - enough to cover the chicken
    • 2 pounds ground sausage - Jimmy Dean Sage
    • 1, 12 ounce beef smoked sausage - sliced and diced (Hillshire Farm, Beef Smoked Sausage)
    • 8 stalks celery - diced, about 3 ½ cups, but save the tops
    • 2 bunches green onions - diced - about 10 green onions or 2 cups
    • 1, 6 ounce box Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice - Including the spice packet
    • 2 ½ cups long grain white rice
    • 6 ½ cups chicken broth - I like Better than Bouillon, chicken
    • Cavender's seasoning - to taste, about 1 teaspoon to start
    • Cayenne pepper - to taste - about ½ teaspoon to start

    Instructions

    Cook and Dice Chicken

    • Place chicken breasts, water and celery tops in a large stockpot with enough water to cover them all, bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until fully cooked, then drain off the water.
      Or, if using a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store simply remove the skin and bones from the cooked chicken.
      Dice the chicken and set aside.

    Cook Sausage and Veggies

    • In the same stockpot, cook the ground sausage, drain and set aside.
      With a little olive oil or butter, brown beef smoked sausage for a few minutes, add diced celery and diced green onions and cook until the veggies are slightly softened.

    Combine All Ingredients, Simmer

    • Add all the remaining ingredients into the stockpot.
      Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer covered over medium low heat for about 45 minutes.
      Remove from heat, still covered, allow to steam for about 15 minutes.

    Serve

    • Serves 10-12, or plan to enjoy plenty of leftovers for several days.

    Leftovers

    • For warming up leftovers, I like to place the jambalaya in a 13" x 9" glass baking dish, cover with foil and let it slowly heat up in a 325° oven for about 45 minutes.

    Notes

    Pro Tip: After everything has simmered for about 45 minutes, be sure to allow plenty of time with the heat turned off - at least 15 minutes. Serve with Mixed Bean Salad for an incredible flavor combination. 
    Calories: 643kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 44gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 147mgSodium: 1331mgPotassium: 878mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 123IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 2mg

    Please note, the nutrition details are estimated using a food database, so they’re just a rough estimate not an exact science.

    Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment below or @crinkledcookbook on Instagram, snap a photo and tag it #crinkledcookbook

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