How to Make Jambalaya

Why is Jambalaya so fun to make?

Jambalaya is one of my favorite dishes to make. With it’s bold flavors of New Orleans and tons of meats and veggies, it’s hard to go wrong! In this video I speed-walk you through the ingredients and technique to make an awesome base jambalaya with seared chicken breast, andouille sausage, and cajun trinity mirepoix with aromatics. You can find the full recipe below, but here’s a quick overview.

I seared the chicken and sausage then reserved them. Then, I cooked the mirepoix and added tomato paste and red wine vinegar. Next, I added frozen chicken stock that I had made a few days previously and simmered with fresh herbs and other aromatics. Finally, I added basmati rice and brought it back to a simmer, then covered the pot and shut off heat letting it sit for about 30 minutes.

The second part of the video is customizing the base with butter-basted jumbo shrimp and scallops. Cause that’s how we do!! It’s finished with thin-sliced scallions. The best part of Jambalaya is it’s highly customizable and you can add an assortment of ingredients.

What’s the difference between a “creole” and “cajun” versions?

This particular variation is called a “red jambalaya” because of the fresh Roma tomatoes in the recipe. A traditional cajun jambalaya does not have tomatoes. This was perhaps a variation created by the spaniards when they occupied the area using tomatoes as a substitute for saffron as they tried to recreate it’s close cousin paella.

Also, this creole jambalaya has medium heat as only jalapeños, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and a little bit of hot sauce were added for heat. You can adjust the heat level according to your preferences with hotter peppers like serrano or habanero, or you can use no peppers at all. I would also add crawfish to this one, but unfortunately I didn’t have any fresh ones all the way up here in the northeast.

Regardless, this dish is a fun way to cook and is always a favorite at parties and get togethers. So check it out and give it a try. Let me know some of your favorite variations in the comments below or you can contact me personally here.

Creole Jambalaya

AKA "Red Jambalaya" with chicken breast and andouille sausage. Finished w/ scallops and shrimp.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 15 mins

Resting time for rice to cook 30 mins

Total Time 2 hrs 15 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 6 people

Calories 800 kcal

Equipment

• 1 shallow pot w/ lid can use any pot but it's easier w/ more surface area
• 1 tongs
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 medium mesh strainer to rinse rice
• 1 colander to strain chicken
• 1 shallow pan to collect cooking juices from chicken

Ingredients

  

Proteins and rice for base jambalaya

• 3 ea raw andouille sausage links
• 2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breast large dice
• 24 oz basmati rice (long grain) volume

Vegetables

• 2 ea medium yellow onion large dice
• 2 es red onion large dice
• 1 ea red pepper large dice
• 1 ea green pepper large dice
• 1 es yellow pepper large dice
• 6 ea celery stalks large dice
• 4 ea jalapeno sliced
• 6 ea roma tomato large slice
• 6 ea garlic cloves sliced

Liquids

• 4 oz olive oil adjust accordingly for cooking
• 2 gal chicken stock
• 4 oz red wine vinegar
• 4 oz hot sauce (to finish)

Seasoning for chicken-(season aromatics the same amount when adding vegetables)

• 4 tbsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp coarse black pepper
• 1 tbsp granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp dark chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp celery seed
• 1 tbsp fennel seed
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp herbes de provence
• 3 oz tomato paste
• 2 ea rosemary sprigs
• 5 ea thyme sprigs
• 3 ea bay leaves

Finished Jambalaya w/ shrimp and scallops

• 12 ea u-10/12 shrimp peeled and de-veined
• 12 ea u-10 scallops
• 3 ea scallions
• 4 tbsp whole butter
• 2 ea lemons

Instructions

 

Pre-cooking prep

• Dice and season chicken breast (reserve)
• Dice and cut all of your vegetables to the specified size (reserve for cooking)

Cooking Instructions (proteins)

• Add olive oil to pan and get smoking hot
• Add diced and seasoned chicken breast to get a nice sear. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan.
• Strain and reserve cooked chicken with the juices
• Sear andouille sausage browning on all sides (reserve w/ chicken)

Cooking instructions (veggies)

• Add reserved chopped vegetables and sweat 8 minutes (stirring frequently)
• Season vegetables the same amount as the chicken
• Add  jalapeño and garlic and cook 4 more minutes
• Add tomato past and cook 5 minutes to brown (stirring frequently)
• Add red wine vinegar and reduce by half (stirring frequently) approximately 4 minutes
• Add chicken stock and bring to simmer and cook for 20 minutes
• Add roma tomatoes and browned andouille sausage to cook throughout approximately 10 minutes.
• Remove andouille and allow to cool with diced chicken
• Add hot sauce and adjust seasoning to taste

To Finish Jambalaya

• Rinse rice in mesh strainer w/ cool water until water is clear removing outside husk.
• Add rice to the liquid and return to simmer. Shut off heat and cover for 30 minutes.
• Slice andouille and add diced chicken (and reserved juices) to finished jambalaya stirring throughout
• You can stop here and eat "as-is" or reserve for up to 5 days refrigerated and up to 6 months frozen.

Finishing w/ scallops and shrimp

• Pat dry scallops and shrimp removing all moisture
• Season with sea salt and clack pepper
• Sear w/ olive oil in a cast-iron skillet on high heat (do not disturb the scallops for at least 2 full minutes to allow nice sear)
• Squeeze fresh lemon juice and whole butter to butter baste in pan
• Plate the jambalaya first and add shrimp and scallops portioned symmetrically.
• Finish w/ fresh lemon juice and sliced scallions

Video

Notes

This is a fun dish to make and it’s not an exact science.  Feel free to adjust the seasoning as you see fit, but through trial and error this seems to fit well for me and the people I cook for.  Keep in mind, you really have to keep stirring throughout and be sure not to burn the bottom of your pan or the whole dish is ruined. 

Be aware of how high your heat is, especially when you are sweating the vegetables.  Essentially, you are searing two proteins and veggies to create a fond at the bottom of the pan.  That built-up residue on the bottom of the pan makes it really easy to burn the bottom so be aware. 

If you do scorch the bottom of the pan then just throw it out and start again.  It’s pointless to try to salvage the dish because it will always have a burned flavor that’s impossible to get rid of no matter how much hot sauce you have to mask the flavor.  Trust me! (Been there done that) 

Also, when you are finishing the jambalaya with the rice, make sure not to keep taking the lid off and stirring the rice.  Stir it once after you cover it when you allow it to sit 30 minutes off the heat.  I know it’s hard to just leave it alone for 30 minutes, but if you continue to stir, it will cause the rice to break apart.  If you’re uncomfortable with this technique, you can cook the rice separately and fold in the rice when the liquid cools.  It won’t change the finished product and will allow you more leeway if you’re worried about adding too much or too little rice.   

The shrimp and scallops are two of my favorites, but you can add just about anything to finish the jambalaya.  Get creative and finish it with some of your favorites.  Enjoy! 

Keyword Cajun, Creole, New Orleans