Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage Recipe
Jambalaya is a one-pot dish from Louisiana where rice is cooked together with chicken, sausage, and vegetables in an aromatic, slightly spicy sauce. It’s a bit like Spanish paella, but with an American character and Creole influences. It’s a great option when you want to feed several people with one big pot full of colorful, fragrant food.
Jambalaya with chicken and sausage is the heart of Louisiana cooking – a blend of Creole, French, Spanish, and African influences in one steaming pot. The rice cooks together with the meat, vegetables, and spices, soaking up all the flavors like a sponge, so every grain is spicy, herby, and full of umami. It’s a true “party in a pot”: colorful, aromatic, filling, and made for sharing at one table.
Chef's tips
Use a wide pot or deep skillet so the rice cooks in as thin a layer as possible – it will absorb the liquid evenly and won’t get mushy. After adding the rice, don’t stir it too often, just 2–3 times during cooking, because too much stirring releases starch and makes the dish sticky. If you’re using a spicy sausage, taste the dish only at the end – it’s easy to overdo the hot paprika at the start.
How to serve
Jambalaya is perfect for casual get-togethers with a bigger group – you can put the pot in the middle of the table with small bowls of chopped parsley, hot sauce, and lemon on the side so everyone can season their own portion. To drink, serve light beer, cider, or water with lime and plenty of ice, especially if you turn up the heat. It’s also an excellent meal prep option for a busy week – the leftovers taste even better the next day at work, just reheated in the microwave.
Ingredients
- rice - 300 g
- chicken breast - 300 g
- sausage - 200 g
- bell pepper - 1 piece
- celery stalk - 2 stalk
- onion - 1 piece
- garlic - 3 piece
- canned tomatoes - 400 g
- chicken stock - 600 ml
- sweet paprika - 2 teaspoon
- hot paprika - 0.5 teaspoon
- thyme - 1 teaspoon
- bay leaf - 2 piece
- vegetable oil - 2 tablespoon
- salt - 1 teaspoon
- black pepper - 0.5 teaspoon
Preparation
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes, the sausage into half-slices, the onion into a small dice, the bell pepper into strips, the celery into thin slices, and finely chop the garlic.
- In a large, wide pot or deep skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, add the sausage and fry for 4–5 minutes until lightly browned and it releases some fat.
- Add the chicken pieces, season with a pinch of salt and fry for another 5–6 minutes, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink on the outside.
- Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper, and fry everything together for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the onion becomes slightly translucent.
- Add the garlic, sweet paprika, hot paprika, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper, and fry for 1 more minute, stirring, until the spices become very fragrant.
- Pour in the rice and mix thoroughly so that every grain is coated with the fat and spices, then fry for 1–2 minutes.
- Pour in the canned tomatoes and stock, and mix well, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
- Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for 20–25 minutes, until the rice absorbs most of the liquid and is tender but not mushy.
- During cooking, stir 2–3 times so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom; if the liquid evaporates too quickly, add a little hot water or stock.
- At the end, remove the bay leaves, taste, and if needed season with extra salt or hot paprika; serve immediately while hot.
Storage
Jambalayę przechowuj w lodówce w szczelnym pojemniku i podgrzewaj na patelni z odrobiną wody lub w mikrofalówce. Możesz też zamrozić porcje i rozmrażać na szybki obiad.
