Creole Jambalaya is a tomato-based rice dish that is ready in less than an hour and tastes like it has been cooking all day. It has so much flavor – like taking a trip to New Orleans without leaving the house.
At our house, Jambalaya is an entire food group. Just like Seafood Gumbo or Red Beans and Rice, There are so many different variations, and each one is delicious.
This Creole Jambalaya is our favorite way to cook jambalaya, and it is a variation of my mother-in-law’s recipe. Because it is a Creole recipe, it has tomatoes in it – so don’t lose your minds at me.
With this recipe, you get so many different bursts of flavor from all of the layers of meat, vegetables, and seasoning – it is so delicious.
Table of Contents
Creole Jambalaya Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for the best creole jambalaya recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Butter
- The Cajun Holy Trinity – Onion, Green Bell Pepper, and Celery
- Garlic
- Green Onions
- Chicken Thighs – I like to use chicken thighs over chicken breasts because they don’t dry out when they are kind of haphazardly cooked in a dish like a jambalaya.
- Andouille Sausage – You can use whatever brand of andouille that you want, but we like to use Veron’s or Richard’s.
- Diced Fresh Tomatoes or Diced Canned Tomatoes – Both are really good, though if you use fresh tomatoes that aren’t very juicy, you will need to add more liquid.
- Chicken Broth
- Spices – Kosher Salt, Cayenne Pepper, and Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning. (If you don’t have Tony’s, you can make your own Creole Seasoning.)
- White Rice – I like to use a long-grain white rice like Mahatma rice. Short-grain rice will get mushy, and basmati or jasmine rice has too much of its own flavor.
How to Make Creole Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a really easy dish to make for how impressive and delicious it is.
- First, heat a large pot on the stove over medium heat. While the pot is heating up, dice up your onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper. (Picture 1)
- Once the pot is warm, melt the butter. (Picture 2)
- When the butter is melted, add (white) onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. (Pictures 3 – 4)
- Cook until the vegetables are soft and the onions are translucent. (Picture 5)
- Next, add the green onions, chicken, and diced andouille sausage. (Picture 6)
- Cook for about five minutes, until the chicken is mostly white – it is okay if it is not fully cooked. (Pictures 7 – 8)
- Now add chicken broth and use it to deglaze the bottom of the pot. (Picture 9)
- Then add the tomato paste, diced tomatoes, salt, cayenne pepper, and the bay leaf. Mix everything together and make sure the tomato paste gets evenly incorporated. (Picture 10)
- Bring this to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. (Pictures 11 – 12)
- Finally, add rice and mix to combine. (Picture 13)
- Simmer for 25 – 30 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed. (Pictures 14 – 15)
Fluff with a fork and serve immediately.
🙋♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
When making Jambalaya, you can use any kind of long-grain white rice. Most sticky, short-grain rice varieties will get really mushy in after being cooked for a while, but the long-grain rice holds up well. I don’t like rice like jasmine or basmati because they have a strong flavor so I stick to just plain old Mahatma white rice.
Creole jambalaya is a red jambalaya because it is made with tomatoes and tomato paste.
This is totally a personal preference thing. We like our jambalaya to be sticky and not dry, so it is a little saucy but definitely not soupy. (Less moisture than risotto but not as dry as plain rice.) Great answer, right?
How to Store Creole Jambalaya
Leftover jambalaya will last 3-5 days in the refridgerator.
It reheats best in the microwave or in a covered pot on the stove over low heat. You may need to add a little bit of broth if the rice gets crunchy.
Leftover jambalaya can also be frozen for an easy dinner for later. I like to use Souper Cubes to freeze jambalaya in blocks that fit in the freezer really well!
Helpful Tips
- You can very easily double this recipe for a larger group. It makes almost exactly four servings, so doubled, it can serve a crowd really well.
- I love making this recipe with fresh tomatoes from our garden. Since the tomatoes aren’t in juice, I like to add about 1/2 a cup of extra chicken broth to make up for it.
- Try this recipe using different proteins – a lot of people like to make it with shrimp as well, but my husband thinks combining shrimp and sausage is a crime, so we just stick to chicken and andouille sausage.
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Classic New Orlean’s Creole Jambalaya (One Pot)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup butter
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup green bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- 1 ½ cups raw chicken thighs, diced
- 1 ½ cups andouille or hot smoked sausage, diced
- 2 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
- 1 cup white or long grain rice uncooked and rinsed
Instructions
- Heat a large pot on the stove over medium heat. While the pot is heating up, dice up onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper.
- Once the pot is warm, melt the butter.⅓ cup butter
- When the butter is melted, add diced white onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic.½ cup onion, diced, ½ cup green bell pepper, diced, ½ cup celery, diced, 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- Cook until onions are translucent.
- Next, add the green onions, chicken thighs, and andouille sausage.½ cup green onions, chopped, 1 ½ cups raw chicken thighs, diced, 1 ½ cups andouille or hot smoked sausage, diced
- Cook for about five minutes, until the chicken is mostly white – it is okay if it is not fully cooked.
- Now add chicken broth and use it to deglaze the bottom of the pot.1 cup chicken broth
- Then add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, salt, cayenne pepper, Tony's, and the bay leaf. Mix everything together and make sure the tomato paste gets evenly encorporated.2 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice, ⅓ cup tomato paste, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
- Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Finally, add rice and mix to combine.1 cup white or long grain rice
- Simmer for 25 – 30 minutes until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Fluff with a fork and serve immediately.
Notes
- You can very easily double this recipe for a larger group. It makes almost exactly four servings, so doubled it can serve a crowd really well.
- I love making this recipe with fresh tomatoes from our garden. Since the tomatoes aren’t in juice, I like to add about ½ a cup of extra chicken broth to make up for it.
- Try this recipe using different proteins – a lot of people like to make it with shrimp as well, but my husband thinks combining shrimp and sausage is a crime, so we just stick to chicken and sausage.
Special Equipment Needeed
- a large pot
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
