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
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!)
Categories
Lunch
Cuisine
American
Steps
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.
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.
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.
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.
Your delicious jambala is ready to be garnished with green onions and fresh parsley leaves. Serve and enjoy!
Nutitrion
Calories: 656 calories
Carbohydrates: 74.6 g
Protein: 38 g
Fat: 25.2 g
Saturated Fat: 5.8 g
Trans Fat: 0.1 g
Cholesterol: 182.1 mg
Sodium: 1159.8 mg
Sugar: 10.5 g
Reviews
Robyn on 2019-03-05 (5 stars): 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!
Elena on 2019-06-12 (5 stars): 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!
Ajeenah Gayhardt on 2019-07-14 (5 stars): 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!
Mary M. on 2020-04-09 (5 stars): This recipe was perfect! I made a few minor adjustments for my liking but this was a great guide. It tastes so delicious!!!
Cindy Cooper on 2020-04-29 (5 stars): The family loved it. The house smelled so good while cooking Jambalaya. This is a keeper.
Mr John Cooper on 2020-06-21 (5 stars): 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
Rebecca Baker on 2020-08-20 (5 stars): This recipe is amazing! My family loved it! So good. Your seasoning blend is perfect!
Lionstory on 2021-01-11 (5 stars): I used to make this when I was really young. Who says you need a lot of time to make jambalaya. One of my all time favorites.
Patty on 2021-02-16 (5 stars): I made this for Valentine’s Day it was wonderful! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Robert on 2021-03-10 (4 stars): Thank you for sharing this recipe. Nice and easy to prepare. Really tasty, the family loved it. South Africa!
Diana on 2021-05-01 (5 stars): Wow thank you for sharing your recipe it was so flavorful. I had to share it with my daughter too!
Cheryl on 2021-06-20 (5 stars): Amazing recipe, made this for my husband for Father's day!
John P on 2021-06-28 (5 stars): Great recipe Love the flavor and heat will make this one of my favorites
Robert Wolsfelt on 2021-07-14 (5 stars): Excellent!
Recipe Bake on 2021-11-15 (5 stars): This is the best jambalaya I’ve ever had! I made this exactly as written, including making my own Creole spice mix. It was fantastic, much better than any Jambalaya.
Jan on 2022-11-26 (5 stars): 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.
Ella on 2023-05-07 (5 stars): Born and raised in New Orleans. Jambalaya doesn’t have okra in it. Otherwise it’s a really good recipe.
Penny on 2024-07-21 (5 stars): Delicious, reduced the cayenne pepper to 1/8 and pepper to 1/2, did not add okra. The heat was perfect. Will make again.
Patsy on 2025-10-11 (5 stars): When to add the okra?
Kaylen Marks on 2025-12-27 (5 stars): Hello,
My husband is from South Louisiana and a pure Cajun. He will be excited to know that I am making him Jambalaya for dinner.
Thank you for sharing the amazing recipe,
Kaylen
