Go Back
–+ servings
Print Pin
5 from 3 votes

Jambalaya

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
Keyword chicken dinner, gluten free, Jambalaya, low-carb, sausage dinner, Shrimp dinner
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 5
Calories 418kcal
Author Barbara Bianchi

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 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
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 package gluten-free andouille sausage thinly sliced
  • 1 14.5 ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
  • 1 pound of shrimp peeled, deveined with tails removed
  • 1/2 cup okra sliced
  • 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.
    Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, chicken and sausage, and stir to combine. Continue sauteing for an additional 5 minutes.
  • 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.
    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.

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.
  • Jambalaya is traditionally served with rice. I recommend this gluten-free spicy jambalaya rice mix from Zatarains. All of my kids loved it.
  • If you are cutting back on carbs, cauliflower rice makes a wonderful substitute for rice. You can find my recipe for cauliflower rice here. It turned out beautifully with the jambalaya.

Nutrition

Calories: 418kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.7g
did you make this recipe? We want to see! Take a pic, and tag @glutenfreehomestead on Instagram.