Jambalaya Recipe

Jambalaya is a wonderful choice for a party when you need to feed a lot of people or just when you need an extra boost of fun to start your week.

This recipe is a one-pan meal, which makes dinner super easy. I’ve prepared a free eBook of one-pan meals for you, so be sure to check out how to get your copy below!

Hi friends!!! I am so excited for the first post of this week: Jambalaya!

I love trying new cuisines, and Louisiana Creole is one I’d love to explore more, especially because jambalaya is so amazingly delicious: a warm bowl of tender chicken, hot andouille sausage, and fresh shrimp cooked  with celery, onion, bell peppers, okra, and tomatoes in a sauce spiced up with Cajun seasoning.

Even better, there is no wheat needed, making it a perfect dinner dish for us gluten-free people. If you’ve never had jambalaya before, you are seriously missing out.

And if you are already a jambalaya fan and have never made this dish at home, this is the recipe for you.

It’s naturally low carb, too! And if you’d like more low carb options, I’ve got a bunch of delicious low carb recipes that’ll keep you satisfied while keeping your carb intake in check.

The Tale of Jambalaya’s Origins

The origins of jambalaya are open to debate.

According to the New Orleans Official Guide, The Dictionary of American Food and Drink says the dish was created when a traveller showed up at a New Orleans inn late one night, hours after dinner had been served.

The owner of the inn told the cook to “balayez” (throw something together) as a meal for the traveller.

The meal ended up being mouthwateringly delicious, and so jambalaya was born.

Regardless of how it came into existence, jambalaya really is quite simple to prepare if you follow several easy steps.

Instructions

*Free printable recipe card is available at the end of the post.

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First, sauté the celery, bell peppers, onion, and garlic in a little olive oil.

Once the vegetables are soft, add a little more olive oil, and then the chicken and Andouille sausage.

Andouille (pronounced an-DOO-ee) is a spicy sausage usually made from smoked pork. However, be sure to buy gluten-free sausage as sometimes sausages can have fillers.

The andouille sausage by Applegate are gluten-free and made with chicken and turkey.

Wellshire Farms are also gluten-free and made from pork. Both are very good.

After sautéing all of the ingredients for about another five minutes, stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf, Cajun seasoning, and thyme. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for about twenty minutes.

Then add the pink shrimp and okra. The pretty star-like seed pods of the okra have a thick, gooey mucilage that aid in thickening the sauce. Let the beautiful, brown sauce continue to simmer until the shrimp is cooked.

Serving suggestions

Jambalaya is traditionally served with a gluten free corn muffin and rice. I recommend gluten-free spicy jambalaya rice mix from Zatarains. All of my kids loved it.

However, John and I have been trying to follow the principles of a paleo diet, so we decided to try the jambalaya with cauliflower rice instead. This is a great option if you are cutting back on carbs, and it makes a wonderful substitute for rice.

If you want to enjoy the flavors of jambalaya while keeping things low-carb, switch out traditional rice for cauliflower rice as a nutritious and delicious alternative. You can find my recipe for cauliflower rice here.

In addition, serve with a crisp green salad and keto coleslaw with sugar-free dressing.

Pro tips and recipe notes

The most distinctive feature of jambalaya is undeniably its spiciness. However, how spicy you end up making this dish is entirely up to you.

For those of you who are not big on spicy, I think this dish would still be quite tasty on the mild side.

However, if you love your jambalaya so spicy that your eyes water, you can add jalapeño peppers with the vegetables in the beginning, then cayenne pepper flakes when you add the other spices, and even a teaspoon of Sriracha at the very end when the dish is done cooking. 

My family tried it both ways, and we found that the cajun seasoning and spicy andouille sausage were hot enough for us.

This one-pan jambalaya can be made in a slow cooker or instant pot for added convenience. Simply follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cooking times and settings.

Plus it’s a terrific make-ahead dish because it reheats well. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and simply reheat it on the stove or in the microwave when ready to eat.

Jambalaya is such a celebration of flavors and spices. It’s a wonderful choice for a party when you need to feed a lot of people or just when you need an extra boost of fun to start your week.

Enjoy! Have a happy and healthy week!

If you enjoy this recipe, you might also enjoy my ebook One-Pan Meals that has many more easy and delicious recipes for you to try using just one pan so you won’t have to spend hours cleaning dishes.

Explore more cuisines with these recipes

Savory Chicken Stir Fry: This savory chicken stir fry is flavored with a beautiful medley of Indian spices. They make this quick and easy stir-fry super tasty.

Italian-inspired recipes: Let this collection be your guide to creating memorable meals that transport you to the sun-drenched hillsides of Tuscany. Buon appetito!

Gluten Free Yorkshire pudding: While the name “pudding” conjures up images of a sweet, creamy dessert to Americans, puddings in British cuisine can refer to sausages, bread-like creations, or desserts. Yorkshire pudding smothered in gravy served along side a wonderful roast is the quintessential British dinner.

Chicken And Broccoli In Gluten Free Stir Fry Sauce: This is easy to make at home but tastes just like a restaurant-quality dish. It goes from stovetop to table in 30 minutes.

Stir Fry Chicken With Sugar Free Teriyaki Sauce: This dish is is nourishing and quick to make with lots of vegetables, and an easy homemade sauce.

Gluten Free Chicken Fajitas: It’s easy to recreate this restaurant-quality dish in your kitchen.

Gluten Free Chicken Enchiladas: This delicious recipe includes my review of gluten free soft corn tortillas. They’re covered in melted cheese and stuffed with tender strips of chicken in a mouthwatering homemade tomato and chili sauce.

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5 from 3 votes

Jambalaya Recipe

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Jambalaya is such a celebration of flavors and spices. It’s a wonderful choice for a party when you need to feed a lot of people or just when you need an extra boost of fun to start your week.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 5

Calories 418kcal

Author Barbara Bianchi

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Vegetables

• 2 stalks of celery sliced
• 1 onion diced
• 3 bell peppers diced (I used red, yellow and green for color)
• 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and finely chopped, optional
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 14.5 ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup okra sliced

Chicken, Sausage, & Shrimp

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 package gluten-free andouille sausage thinly sliced
• 1 pound of shrimp peeled, deveined with tails removed

Herbs &Spices

• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat 2 of the tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, bell peppers, garlic and (jalapeño, optional). Saute for 5 minutes, stirring until the vegetables are soft.
  2 stalks of celery, 1 onion, 3 bell peppers, 1 jalapeño pepper, 3 cloves garlic
• Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, chicken and sausage, and stir to combine. Continue sauteing for an additional 5 minutes.
  1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 package gluten-free andouille sausage
• Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, Cajun seasoning, thyme, and (cayenne,optional) and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  14.5 ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes, 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Then add shrimp and okra and stir to combine. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked and no longer pink, 5 minutes.

  Remove bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.
  1 pound of shrimp, 1/2 cup okra, salt and pepper to taste

Notes

• The most distinctive feature of jambalaya is undeniably its spiciness. If you love your jambalaya so spicy that your eyes water, you can add jalapeño peppers with the vegetables in the beginning, then cayenne pepper flakes when you add the other spices, and even a teaspoon of Sriracha at the very end when the dish is done cooking. 
• Jambalaya is traditionally served with rice. I recommend this gluten-free spicy jambalaya rice mix from Zatarains. 
• For low-carb option, cauliflower rice can substitute for traditional rice.
• One-pan jambalaya can be made in a slow cooker or instant pot for added convenience. Simply follow the manufacturer's instructions for cooking times and settings.
• Jambalaya is a terrific make-ahead dish because it reheats well. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and simply reheat it on the stove or in the microwave when ready to eat.

Nutrition

Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.7g | Protein: 45.6g

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