Today I'm sharing the most delicious, flavorful one-pot rice dish you will ever make. This Cajun chicken and sausage jambalaya recipe is filled with tender pieces of chicken, smoky sausage and perfectly seasoned rice. It's a classic New Orleans dish that is perfect to serve at your Mardi Gras party, but it is also easy enough to make year round.
Since I don't eat a lot of tomatoes, I prefer this Cajun jambalaya recipe to the Creole red style jambalaya. It has quickly become a family favorite! Using skin on chicken thighs adds a tremendous amount of flavor to this dish, so don't skip it!
If you're looking for easy one-pot rice dinners, check out my Mexican ground beef and rice skillet or my old-fashioned chicken and rice.
Are there different types of Jambalaya?
Yes. There is Cajun jambalaya (this recipe) and Creole jambalaya. The main difference between the two is the addition of tomatoes. Creole recipes typically use tomato paste along with tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes to create a red jambalaya. This Cajun version, without tomato, is considered a brown jambalaya.
Ingredient Notes
This easy jambalaya recipe uses simple ingredients that are available at any grocery store. Plus, it's both gluten free and dairy free as written.
- Olive Oil - A little bit of oil is needed to keep the chicken from sticking to the pan. I always use light flavored olive oil in my cooking, but you can use any light cooking oil here like vegetable oil or avocado oil.
- Chicken Thighs - I used skin on, bone-in chicken thighs. My store doesn't carry boneless thighs with skin on and the skin is important. So whether you buy boneless or bone-in make sure you have the skin on your chicken thighs. Thighs are the perfect cut for this dish, since they are full of flavor and can take lots of cooking without becoming tough.
- Cajun Seasoning - Cajun seasoning is a mic of salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, white pepper and cumin. It adds a huge amount of flavor to the dish. You can use my homemade Cajun seasoning mix or your favorite store bought seasoning.
- Kielbasa - A lot of recipes might use Andouille sausage, but I prefer kielbasa. There are several brands available that are gluten free, but my favorite is from North Country Smokehouse. If you prefer Andouille or another type of smoked sausage, go for it!
- Green Bell Pepper, Onion, Celery - The holy trinity of Cajun cooking. These three add lots of base flavor to the dish.
- Garlic - Another aromatic that adds flavor to the base of this dish. I like to mince fresh garlic because I think it packs more flavor.
- Dried Thyme - Thyme is the perfect flavor pairing for chicken. If you prefer to use fresh thyme, you'll need 3x what is called for in the recipe card.
- Bay Leaves - People online love to debate whether bay leaves are important, but I'm here to tell you they are. They add a little something that's hard to pinpoint but you'll notice a flavor difference if you leave them out. I like to get the fresh leaves in the produce section of the grocery store.
- Rice - Use long grain or medium grain white rice. I haven't tested this recipe with other types of rice, like brown rice or jasmine rice. I always use long grain rice.
- Gluten Free Chicken Broth - If you're following a gluten free diet, make sure to buy chicken broth labeled gluten free since this is an ingredient which frequently has hidden gluten. My favorite brand is Pacific Foods.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- No Kielbasa - Use andouille sausage or another smoked sausage in place of the kielbasa.
- Add Shrimp - If you want to add shrimp to your jambalaya, add it on top of the rice in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Cover with a lid and allow the shrimp to steam until cooked through.
- Make it Red Jambalaya - If you prefer a tomato based jambalaya (Creole style), add 1 Tablespoon of tomato paste along with the garlic, add 14 ounces of crushed tomatoes with the chicken broth, and reduce the chicken broth to 3 cups. The cooking method is the same.
- Make it Spicier - I already find this recipe to be plenty spicy, but if you like things extra spicy you can add some hot sauce or red pepper flakes during cooking.
How to make Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
This is an easy one-pot meal, making for quick cleanup. You will need a large 10-inch saucepan with a lid or a large Dutch oven pot for this recipe.
STEP 1: Add 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 Tablespoons of Cajun seasoning to the chicken thighs in a large bowl. Stir well to coat the chicken.
STEP 2: Add the remaining oil to a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs, skin side down. Cooke about 7 minutes per side until browned. Remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil.
STEP 3: Reduce the cook temperature to medium heat. Add the sliced sausage to the same pan and cook until they are browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Set the cooked sausage aside with the chicken.
STEP 4: Add the green bell pepper, onion and celery to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
STEP 5: Add the garlic, dried thyme, rice and 2 teaspoons of the Cajun seasoning to the sauteed vegetables. Stir together and cook for 2-3 minutes to toast the rice.
STEP 6: Pour the chicken stock into the rice mixture and stir together.
STEP 7: Add the sausage and chicken back into the pan, nestling the chicken thighs into the rice mixture. Finally add in the bay leaves and remaining Cajun seasoning.
Once the mixture is simmering, reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the liquid has been absorbed.
STEP 8: Remove the bay leaves.
Pull the chicken out of the pan and remove the skin and bones. Add the chicken pieces back into the pan and stir everything together.
Storage
Store leftover jambalaya in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat to 165F before serving.
More dinner recipes to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil divided
- ⅓ Cup Cajun Seasoning
- 1 ½ pounds Chicken Thighs bone-in & skin-on
- 14 ounces Kielbasa Sausage cut into ¼ inch thick coins
- 1 Cup Green Pepper 1 medium pepper diced
- 1 Cup White Onion 1 medium onion diced
- ½ Cup Celery 2 stalks diced
- 6 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 Cups Long Grain Rice
- 4 Cups Gluten Free Chicken Broth
- Green Onion for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a bowl and coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning.3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, ⅓ Cup Cajun Seasoning, 1 ½ pounds Chicken Thighs
- Add the remaining oil to a large nonstick skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the pan, skin side down. Cook until golden brown, about 7 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and tent with foil. Set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the sausage to the pan. Cook and stir occasionally until they are just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside with the chicken.14 ounces Kielbasa Sausage
- Add the green pepper, onion, and celery to the pan. Continue to cook and stir occasionally until the vegetables are softened, about 5-7 minutes.1 Cup Green Pepper, 1 Cup White Onion, ½ Cup Celery
- Add the garlic, dried thyme, 2 teaspoons of the seasoning and the rice. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes.6 cloves Garlic, 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme, 2 Bay Leaves, 2 Cups Long Grain Rice
- Pour the chicken broth into the rice mixture. Stir it well to make sure no rice is stuck to the pan.4 Cups Gluten Free Chicken Broth
- Add the sausage and chicken, bay leaf and remaining seasoning. Nestle the chicken pieces down into the rice. Bring to a simmer. Once it is simmering, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 30 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat.
- Remove the bay leaves. Remove the chicken thighs and discard the skin and bones. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and return it to the pan. Stir everything together to fluff the rice. Garnish with green onions and serve.Green Onion
Notes
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- No Kielbasa - Use andouille sausage in place of the kielbasa.
-
- Add Shrimp - If you want to add shrimp to your jambalaya, add it on top of the rice in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Cover with a lid and allow the shrimp to steam until cooked through.
-
- Make it Red Jambalaya - If you prefer a tomato based jambalaya (Creole style), add 1 Tablespoon of tomato paste along with the garlic, add 14 ounces of crushed tomatoes with the chicken broth, and reduce the broth to 3 cups. The cooking method is the same.
- Make it Spicier - I already find this recipe to be pretty spicy, but if you like things really hot you can add hot sauce or red pepper flakes.
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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