Easy One Pot Jambalaya

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This recipe is traditional casserole made with shrimp, chicken, and sausage. A one pot jambalaya recipe that’s easy and full of cajun flavor!

A classic casserole that is famous in New Orleans…made easily in your home kitchen.

Skillet dinners are easy weeknight favorites and sometimes you need a change from traditional chicken or pasta skillets. This easy rice skillet dinner comes with traditional cajun flavor. It’s fresh, light and tastes amazing!

easy one pot jambalaya with a wooden spoon
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What you’ll love about this recipe:

  • Ready for the table in under 45 minutes.
  • Made with 3 meats: shrimp, chicken and sausage.
  • Uses one pot.
  • Great for weekly meal prep.

What you can prep ahead:

Although this recipe only takes about 45 minutes start to finish, there are things you can do to make the recipe faster on weeknights.

On the weekend (or on Monday…whenever you are meal planning), dice the vegetables and prepare the meat. Put it in storage containers so that when you are ready to make this meal, you can literally dump the ingredients in the skillet. This will help with mess on weeknights!

ingredients for jambalaya recipe

How to Make One Pot Jambalaya

You’ll need a large skillet to make this recipe. It serves about 8 and uses rice and three meats so make sure it is at least a 12″ skillet with deep sides. In fact, we love using electric skillets for easy weeknight meals.

  • In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Saute the onion, peppers and celery until they begin to soften, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  • Add the chicken and sausage (and up to 2 more tablespoons of olive oil if needed) to the pan and cook for 5 – 7 minutes, until browned and no longer pink.
  • Stir in the crushed tomatoes, cajun seasoning, basil, thyme, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Stir in the chicken stock and white rice. Bring the pan to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 25 – 30 minutes, until the rice is cooked and almost all of the liquid is absorbed. If the mixture becomes too dry, add an extra splash of chicken stock. Stir occasionally.
  • Stir the shrimp into the pan and cook for 5 more minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
bowl of jambalaya with shrimp

What to Serve with Jambalaya

Here are our favorite side dishes:

traditional jambalaya in a skillet
traditional jambalaya in a skillet

Easy One Pot Jambalaya

4.67 from 157 votes
This recipe is for a traditional jambalaya made with shrimp, chicken, and sausage. It’s a one pot recipe that’s easy to make and full of tasty cajun flavor!
Servings 8
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
  • 1 yellow onion (chopped)
  • 2 red bell peppers (diced)
  • 1 jalapeño pepper (diced)
  • 3 stalks celery (diced)
  • 5 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 chicken breast (chopped)
  • 1 pound andouille sausage (sliced)
  • 14 ounces crushed tomatoes (one can)
  • 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 ½ cup long grain white rice
  • 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
  • parsley chopped (optional for garnish)

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Saute the onion, peppers and celery until they begin to soften, about 5 – 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
  • Add the chicken and sausage to the pan (and up to 2 more tablespoons of olive oil if needed) and cook for 5 – 7 minutes, until browned and no longer pink.
  • Stir in the crushed tomatoes, cajun seasoning, basil, thyme, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Stir in the chicken stock and white rice. Bring the pan to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 25 – 30 minutes, until the rice is cooked and almost all of the liquid is absorbed. If the mixture becomes too dry, add an extra splash of chicken stock. Stir occasionally.
  • Stir the shrimp into the pan and cook for 5 more minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Optionally, serve garnished with parsley.

Notes

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 8 people, with 1 serving being ⅛ of the recipe. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 211mg | Sodium: 1182mg | Potassium: 727mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1976IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 4mg
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Calories 526
Keyword cajun, rice casserole

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Nicole
1 year ago

5 stars
This jambalaya recipe was a 10/10! It was my first time making the dish from scratch and I’m definitely adding it to our list of weekly 1 pot dinners!

Percy
4 months ago

Doesn’t say what to do with the jalapeño….

Lori
8 months ago

5 stars
Delicious! I used 1c rice as suggested. I used 1/2 broasted chicken for chicken and 1T Cajun seasoning. I did not use red pepper flakes or bay leaf.

Amanda
8 months ago

5 stars
This recipe was amazing. Kids and hubby all loved it and rated it high 8.5/10. Easy to make in the one pot and such great flavour. I thought it would be too spicy for the kids but they enjoyed it. Absolutely recommend!

Melissa
9 months ago

5 stars
Great recipe. I tried making with brown rice and it had to cook over an hour. Any suggestions on how to adjust the recipe if I want to precook brown rice and then mix in?

Darnita
1 year ago

5 stars
Still cooking this dish but it smells amazing!

James
1 year ago

4 stars
Very good recipe. I live in the New Orleans area. I’ve used this recipe many times. Only adjustment I make it to reduce the rice to one cup.

Evette
1 year ago

4 stars
Used a rice / quinoa mixture so had to add more of this mixture than what it called for on rice . It’s very spicy. I like it but my 11 and 14 year old say it’s “ too spicy”

MADELINE l NEWTON
3 years ago

you guys have a great assortment of different meals and desserts to fit anyone…thank you …