This quick and easy Jambalaya is made in one pot and is loaded with a little New Orleans flavor! It’s the perfect gluten-free meal for busy weeknights!
Table of Contents
I’m jamming to the spicy, creamy and SUPER-hearty JAM-balaya beat today.
It’s probably a good thing you’re not here to witness it. I’m not one of those dancers who is full of poise and grace and whatever.
More like flailing arms, awkwardly wiggling legs and I-may-have-possibly-turned-into-a-chicken head thrusts.
The huberoni tells me to “stop doing that” on a very regular basis.
Until I made him a steaming, cozy pot of tender, lightly fried rice, crunchy celery and peppers all mixed up with tangy-sweet tomatoes and BURSTS of a little spicy Cajun flavor. With sausage.
Why You Will LOVE This Recipe
- After trying andouille sausage for my FIRST TIME (I can feel the OVERFLOW of JUDGE happening right now) I have started to obsess in the only way that I know how: Umm, eat it every single meal and write pretty cursive “Taylor + Andouille” all over my recipe notebooks with scribbly hearts around it. And you know what? If you have never had andouille sausage, you’ll obsess, too.
- It’s New Orleans flavor packed into a one-pot wonder of a meal with SAUSAGE.
- Even your can’t-make-toast husband can REPLICATE, WITH Z-E-R-O LEFTOVERS to hog prized fridge space. Everyone’s a winner. Maybe you’ll even get your hubby to make dinner while you flail your arms to some super-catchy-upbeat tune.
Is Jambalaya Healthy?
Like most soups, stews, and meals of this nature, just how healthy a jambalaya is depends on what you put in it. In this case, it is on the healthier side of things. We use olive oil, which contains monounsaturated fats (i.e., the good kind). We could have also use avocado oil, another healthy one. It also contains numerous vegetables, so you get a range of nutrients from them. Rice in jambalaya is usually white, though you could opt for brown rice, which is higher in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Choose low-sodium broth and perhaps be aware of the sodium content of the store-bought Cajun seasoning.
INGREDIENTS
I hope you’re a gambler cos this recipe requires you to “dice” a full deck of veggies.
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil, I used olive
- 1 cup green bell pepper diced (about 1)
- 1 cup small onion, diced (about 1/2 )
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 oz andouille sausage, cut into rounds
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook
Add oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. When the oil is hot, add the bell pepper, onion, celery and garlic to the pot. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Add
Add the chicken, andouille, and tomato paste. Stir with the other ingredients and break up the tomato paste. Add the white rice and stir until lightly toasted.
Stir
Stir in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, and bay leaf.
Simmer
Cover, and let it cook over LOW heat for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked through and the liquid has been completely absorbed. Stir every 10 minutes or so to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Serve Hot!
FAQs
In the pot – just as the recipe says!
Gumbo uses a roux as its base (a mixture of flour and fat). It also typically features okra or file powder (ground sassafras leaves) whereas jambalaya forgoes these ingredients for onion, bell pepper, and celery. Gumbo also more resembles a soup, which is poured over pre-cooked rice. Jambalaya has a thicker consistency because the rice is cooked with the rest of the dish, thereby absorbing their flavors.
Try cooking it on LOW heat longer, lid off, to let the excess water evaporate. You could also make a slurry by mixing cornstarch or all-purpose flour and water then adding it to the dish. Do NOT add too much or it will affect the taste. Instead of water, you could mix the flour with oil/butter to make a roux (usually reserved for gumbos but it can work here to thicken up proceedings).
How To Store Easy Jambalaya
Let the jambalaya cool completely, though don’t leave it out for longer than two hours to avoid letting bacteria grow. Put it in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you don’t intend on eating it in that time, put it in the freezer, where it should keep for up to 3 months. When you would like to eat it again, let it thaw overnight in the fridge. The next day you can either warm it up in the microwave or on the stove at MEDIUM heat until it attains an internal temperature of 165°F.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable Oil I used olive
- 1 cup green bell pepper diced (about 1 )
- 1 cup small onion diced (about 1/2 )
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 oz andouille sausage cut into rounds
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3/4 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Add oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the bell pepper, onion, celery and garlic to the pot. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken, andouille, and tomato paste. Stir the mix with the other ingredients and break up the tomato paste.
- Add the white rice and stir until lightly toasted.
- Stir in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, and bay leaf.
- Cover, and let it cook over low heat for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked through and the liquid has been completely absorbed.* Stir every 10 minutes or so to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Serve hot!
Tips & Notes:
** Although the book said it made two servings, we each got 2 meals out of this, so it depends on how much you eat!
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAG @FOODFAITHFIT AND #FOODFAITHFITNESS ON INSTAGRAM! I LOVE SEEING YOUR RECIPE RECREATIONS! 
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PER SERVING: POINTS+: 10. OLD POINTS: 9.
(Based off of 4 servings)
Want more easy, weeknight dinners?
Vegan Coconut Curry with Sweet Potato Noodles
Paleo Orange Beef Stir Fry with Kale and Sweet Potato Noodles
Kale and Quinoa Skillet with Mushrooms and Herbs
Other recipes from Julie that I want to try:
Zucchini Noodle Cashew Stir Fry
I’m a little confused about something. I don’t see a step to precook the chicken or sausage. Do you really not do that until adding it with the tomato sauce in step 2?
Thank you!
That’s correct! In this recipe, there’s no need to precook the chicken or sausage before adding them to the tomato sauce in step 2. The chicken and sausage will cook together with the other ingredients during the simmering process.
By cooking the meat in the sauce, it allows it to absorb the flavors of the other ingredients, resulting in a more flavorful dish. Just be sure to keep an eye on the pot and stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom. Enjoy your meal!