Jambalaya (pronounced jum-buh-LIE-uh) is one of the most popular New Orleans dishes and it best represents the ‘melting pot’ of this city on a plate.
It’s astounding actually, that something so easy and relatively inexpensive can create such incredible flavor.
Louisiana is steeped with historical influences and it shows up best in its cuisine. In order to fully appreciate jambalaya, you must first understand a bit about the different cultures that settled in New Orleans.
CREOLE
From the time New Orleans was settled, folks born in NOLA (New Orleans, LA) with French, Caribbean, Spanish, or African heritage have been referred to as ‘creole’.
CAJUN
The word Cajun originated to describe the French colonists who settled in the Acadia region of Canada, better know today as New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island before later moving on to Southern Louisiana.
Creole dishes became known as ‘city food’. Creole jambalaya has the addition of tomatoes in the base and are typically made with chicken and smoked or andouille sausage.
Cajun food was known as ‘country food’, where crawfish, shrimp, oysters, alligator, duck, turtle, boar, venison, and other wild game are often used in Cajun cooking.
Jambalaya is basically a one pot meal, much like a casserole although usually cooked on a stove top. Families often have their own unique ingredients but everyone agrees it’s made with a variety of meats and/or seafood, rice, vegetables, a rich stock and flavorful seasonings.
Jambalaya’s ingredients are so flexible, yet full of stimulating flavors, that it’s a favorite for both cooks and diners regardless of income level.
After moving to New Orleans I was determined to show Mark that his ‘Northern’ wife could cook a prize worthy pot of jambalaya. There was just one problem, due to being so sick from the Crohn’s Disease, tasting was not an option. I had to depend solely on my nose. The results were met with rave reviews.
Now 10+ years later, thankfully I’m healthy enough to also savor jambalaya. Occasionally I’ve added my own spin by substituting chicken with pulled pork, ham or shrimp.
This dishes freezes beautifully, can be easily doubled or tripled, tastes even better the next day and is my go-to meal when feeding a crowd!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 6-8 adults | 15 |
| Cook Time |
| 20-30 minutes |
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Jambalaya is basically a one pot meal, much like a casserole although usually cooked on a stove top. Families often have their own unique ingredients but everyone agrees it’s made with a variety of meats and/or seafood, rice, vegetables, a rich stock and flavorful seasonings.
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- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 bell pepper (green, red, orange and/or yellow), diced
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 lb smoked sausage sliced thin
- 1 lb chicken 1 " pieces, boneless, skinless dark meat
- 1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 2 cups rice uncooked
- 32 oz can chicken broth
- 2-3 chicken boullion cubes optional but adds additional flavor
- 1-2 tbsp Beazell’s Seasoning Slap Your Momma or a similar seasoning
- Salt to taste
- In a heavy bottom pot, on medium high heat, add olive oil and cook sausage until brown around edges.
- Remove sausage from pot and place to side.
- Season chicken with a portion of your Beazell’s Cajun Seasoning and brown.
- Remove from pot and set aside with sausage.
- Place onions and bell peppers to pot and cook until tender.
- Add garlic, cooked sausage, chicken, tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Add chicken broth (scraping bottom of the pot really well to get all those little bits off the bottom).
- Add remainder of Cajun Seasoning and the rice. (can always add, can't take away).
- Bring to boil and cover.
- Reduce heat to low and cook until rice is tender (approx 25 - 30 minutes).
- Salt lightly if required.
DISCLAIMER: when making jambalaya I don’t actually measure ingredients. Also since living in the south, I’ve been known to add additional onions, peppers and garlic.
