Jambalaya Recipe (easy)

Recipe VIDEO above. Many people consider this to be the world's best one pot rice meal.... you won't hear any arguments from me!! Filled with big, punchy New Orleans flavours, a homemade Creole/Cajun spice delivers top notch flavour with consistency results for everyone, no matter where you live in this big wide world. This Jambalaya is started on the stove then finished in the oven - exactly the same outcome as cooking the whole thing on the stove (the traditional way), but far less risk of uneven cooked rice and mushy gluey rice from over stirring. And it's just easier - entirely hands off time! :)

Prep time: PT20M

Cook time: PT50M

Total time: PT70M

Rating

5 stars (115 reviews)

Keywords

Jambalaya, Jambalaya recipe

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetable oil
180g (6oz) bacon (, preferably SMOKED, chopped)
200g (7oz) andouille or smoked sausage (, sliced 0.5cm / 1/5" thick (Note 1))
300g (10oz) chicken thigh (, skinless boneless, cut into 2.5cm /1" pieces)
12 prawns/shrimp (, raw, large, (peeled, with or without tails))
4 garlic cloves (, minced)
1 tbsp (15g) butter
1 onion (, large, cut into 1.5 cm / 0.5" pieces)
2 celery ribs (, cut into 1.5 cm / 0.5" pieces)
2 green capsicum / bell pepper (, medium, cut into 1.5 cm / 0.5" pieces)
1.25 cups long grain rice (, uncooked (Note 2))
2.5 cups (625ml) low-sodium chicken broth / stock ((Note 3))
200g (6.5oz) crushed canned tomato
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup green onions (, sliced, plus more for serving)
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme ((or 1 tsp dried thyme))
4 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp cayenne powder ((adjust spice to taste))
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

Cuisine

Cajun
Louisiana
New Orleans

Steps

Preheat oven to 180C/350F (all types).
Heat oil in a very large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. (Note 4)
Add bacon, cook for 30 seconds (to start fat melting), then add sausages. Cook until sausages are golden - about 3 minutes - then remove into bowl.
Add chicken into the pan and cook until golden (doesn't need to cook inside), then add to bowl with bacon.
Sear prawns in the pan for 1.5 minutes on each side, then transfer to a separate bowl (reserve until later).
Add butter, then garlic, onion, celery and capsicum. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until slightly softened.
Add rice, stir to coat grains in oil.
Add chicken broth, tomato paste, canned tomato, thyme and Seasoning Mix.
Stir well, then add chicken, sausages and bacon (including all liquid).
When you see bubbles across most of the surface, stir well once more. Ensure all rice is submerged, cover with lid, and transfer to oven. (See video)
Bake 20 minutes. Remove lid and check rice by eating a few grains (careful, very hot!) If the rice is just about done (Note 5 for the correct consistency), go to next step. If rice grains are still firm in the centre, continue to cook, checking rice every 5 mins - most ovens take about 30 mins total cooking (see Note 7).
Add prawns/shrimp and green onions, QUICKLY (but gently!) stir through, cover with lid, and return to oven for just 3 minutes (just to heat prawns).
Remove from oven (see video for finished consistency), stir gently to fluff, then serve, garnished with more green onions if desired.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 707 kcal
Carbohydrates: 51 g
Protein: 31 g
Fat: 41 g
Saturated Fat: 15 g
Cholesterol: 158 mg
Sodium: 1563 mg
Sugar: 5 g

Reviews

Lynn Alford on 2026-09-26 (5 stars):
Finally made this dish. It came out wonderfully flavoured. Good thing since it does make a quite a bit of Jambalaya. I did skip the bacon (three types of meat seemed plenty). Also used smoked paprika to make up for that and no Andouille Sausages. definitely a recipe to make many times.
Olga Makri on 2026-09-06 (5 stars):
Amazing recipe! It was the first time I made jambalaya and it was even better than what I've had in restaurants.
Tom M. on 2026-08-21 (5 stars):
I JUST made this and it was excellent! One thing I did was use smoked paprika, (twice the amount), and it worked out well! Being old with a heart condition, I skipped the chicken & bacon, but did use the andouille sausage. I then used extra shrimp & veggies. Loved it! Thank you!
Angeles on 2026-07-28 (5 stars):
I just made this recipe yesterday! So good and even better the next day with leftovers…. Replaced the prawns with langoustines….as we had fished quiet a lot lately. Highly recommended .
Ali on 2026-07-27 (5 stars):
This was AMAZING! I left out the prawns (my family are haters), couldn't get the smoked sausage, so used the subs noted - chorizo, smoked bacon and smoked paprika. I only had brown rice and very nearly didn't make this but I stayed in it and I'm so pleased, I cooked it for about 50 mins in the oven and it was perfect. Nagi never fails!
Samantha on 2026-05-02 (5 stars):
Loved it but made way too much. Can I freeze leftovers.
Joanna on 2026-02-17 (5 stars):
I cooked this over the weekend, couldn't get the right sausage where we live in UK but used a smoked variety. Absolutely delicious! Husband has said the recipe is definitely a keeper! :) Thank you!
Graeme Lydiard on 2026-01-21 (5 stars):
Have made this a few times it was excellent, very hardy, absolutely loved it. Will be making it again.
Valerie Ratcliff on 2025-12-19 (5 stars):
This recipe was perfect! Very flavourful and I substituted SEVERAL ingredients too! (We had no shrimp so I cut slices of salmon instead, no capsicum so I used zucchini- still delicous!)
Katie on 2025-11-12 (5 stars):
Nagi, will it mess with the rice in Jambalaya if I cool and refrigerate the dish before cooking rice? I want to be able to bring to someone and they can bake it when it works for them. Love your recipe btw! I often add a bit of white pepper to the seasoning mix.
Diane Gardiner on 2025-09-27 (5 stars):
This Jambalaya recipe is the best! From the first time I made it it became a firm favourite, so tasty and scrumptious we will never tire of it,
Ainslie on 2025-08-31 (5 stars):
Broke with my 12 year tradition of using my (well loved) recipe from the New Orleans school of cooking and used this insteas. Didn't have chicken so I just doubled the prawn. Absolutely lovely, dead easy and will definitely be using this recipe again! I added some liquid smoke since I was using chorizo and normal bacon + paprika, and did half chicken stock, half beef stock
Marianne on 2025-08-22 (5 stars):
Absolutely fabulous! I have made this twice, put in more prawns than it says each time. Delicious and I will make again! Thank you
Jane Clark on 2025-08-13 (5 stars):
A family favourite. So tasty and very easy to make.
Pixy Winks on 2025-08-03 (5 stars):
Mmmmm. This was soooo good! I didn't think it would be salty enough, but it was. I also doubled the amount of cayenne and that was perfect. This is definitely a keeper meal!
MrsT on 2025-07-21 (5 stars):
Excellent recipe : ) Lots of flavour. If we are lucky and have leftovers, super tasty next day!
Manu O on 2025-07-13 (5 stars):
Another wow recited! Just made this crowd pleaser !
Nancy on 2025-03-09 (5 stars):
Just made this recipe for a crowd of 150. Was fantastic and being able to bake it in oven. That honestly is what drew me to your recipe as I have made it stove top always before. Yours is a total game changer. I did your spice blend exactly as noted with the exception of cutting the cayenne in half due to the crowd variety of peoples tastes to account for. (I had good hot sauce on side for those that wanted more heat) Everyone agreed 5 stars definitely will be making this again. Thanks!
Caroline M on 2025-02-22 (5 stars):
Just made this and it was delish and well received by my partner! Just the right amount of smokey flavour. Mine cooked in about 25 minutes. Will definitely be making this again at some point! Thank you.