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My Best-Ever Jambalaya

I tried to mimic Jambalaya from my favorite restaurant and it turned out so well my daughter and husband now prefer my recipe and won't order it when we go to the restaurant! —Alexis Van Vulpen, St. Albert, Alberta

Ingredients

2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 pound fully cooked Spanish chorizo links, sliced
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
3 cups chicken broth
2 large green peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
3 cups instant brown rice
1/2 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chorizo and ham; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until browned.
Add chicken to pan; cook 5-7 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in tomatoes, broth, peppers, onion, Cajun seasoning and pepper sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 8-10 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender.
Return to a boil; stir in rice and shrimp. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 7-9 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes or until rice is tender.

My Best-Ever Jambalaya Tips

What is the difference between Cajun and Creole jambalaya?

Cajun jambalaya is traditionally made without tomatoes, while Creole jambalaya includes tomatoes. Additionally, Cajun jambalaya is typically made by throwing all ingredients together in one pot, all at one time, to cook, while the process of preparing Creole jambalaya is broken down more into steps and includes more layering of flavors.

Should jambalaya be soupy?

Jambalaya should be thick and dry. If your jambalaya is too thin or soupy, try adding more rice or reducing the chicken stock.

What is traditionally served with jambalaya?

Try our Cheddar Cornbread or Hush Puppies with your jambalaya. Or, give it a real Southern flair and side it with Bacon Collard Greens or Swiss Chard with Onions and Garlic.

Research contributed by Mark Neufang, Taste of Home Culinary Assistant

Nutrition Facts

1-1/3 cups: 323 calories, 12g fat (3g saturated fat), 79mg cholesterol, 1124mg sodium, 31g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 3g fiber), 24g protein.

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Reviews

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Average Rating:

Mariann
Jul 2, 2020
Hands down, awesome recipe!! Huge hit with my husband and stepsons. Might double the cajun seasoning and hot pepper sauce for more heat. We don't like chorizo, so I substituted kielbasa instead. Will make again and again! Thanks for the recipe!
tim
Mar 22, 2018
NEVER use store-bought pre-mixed seasonings.1/2 t cayenne pepper2 t salt1/2 t black pepper1/2 t white pepper1 t dried thyme leaves1/2 t rubbed sage2 bay leavesYou're welcome.
ssapienza
Aug 13, 2017
This is a good recipe when you don't have time to make the real thing! Add salad and bread an easy week night meal!
lmmanda
Jul 23, 2015
Quite tasty! I omitted the ham and increased the amounts of the sausage (I used turkey sausage), chicken, and shrimp (I bought precooked and added it after I cooked the rice with the meat and vegetables). I also cut the amount of Creole seasoning in half and omitted the hot sauce since my husband doesn't like spicy food (I then added hot sauce to my own serving). Definitely will make this again.
IndyCook8010
Jan 10, 2015
My husband and I (plus my brother-in-law who was on the receiving end of leftovers) loved this recipe. Also, the fact that it was a one-pot dish made the cooking and cleanup so easy. NOTE: My Mom always taught me to cook a recipe as written the first time; however, in this case, I had 2 - 14 ounce cans of Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes on hand, so I used those instead of 1 - 28 ounce can of plain diced tomatoes adding extra flavor and spice.
missfase
Sep 30, 2014
My husband & I really liked this recipe. I don't like shrimp so I cooked it on the side & added it to the bowls. I also could not find chorizo in our store so I used andoille sausage instead. Was very tasty.