Jambalaya is one of the defining dishes of Louisiana Creole cooking - a bold, deeply spiced one-pot rice dish of chicken, smoked sausage, and prawns cooked with the Creole holy trinity of onion, celery, and green pepper, seasoned with smoked paprika, cayenne, and thyme, and simmered together until the rice has absorbed every drop of flavour from the pot. It's a complete meal in a single pan, and one of the most satisfying things you can cook on a weeknight or at a dinner party.
Jambalaya has two main traditions - Cajun (no tomatoes, darker and smokier) and Creole (with tomatoes, richer and saucier). This recipe follows the Creole tradition, which is the version most widely known outside Louisiana and the one that produces the most accessible, deeply flavoured result for a home cook. The tomatoes add acidity and body to the sauce that the rice absorbs during cooking, giving each grain a richness and depth that's hard to achieve any other way.
Andouille sausage is the traditional choice but smoked chorizo or a good quality smoked pork sausage works brilliantly in its place and is widely available at UK supermarkets. All other ingredients are standard supermarket staples. This is a brilliant one-pan batch cook that scales up easily and reheats very well - though like all rice dishes, it's best eaten fresh on the day it's made.
Ingredients
For the jambalaya
- 300 g Boneless, Skkinless Chicken Thighs , cut into 3-4cm chunks
- 150 g Smoked Chorizo or Smoked Pork Sausage
- 150 g Raw King Prawns , peeled and deveined
- 1 Medium Onion , finely diced
- 3 Celery Sticks , finely diced
- 1 Green Pepper , deseeded and finely diced
- 1 Red Pepper , deseeded and finely diced
- 4 Garlic Cloves , minced
- 200 g Long-grain White Rice
- 400 g Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
- 350 ml Chicken Stock
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 tbsp Tomato Purée
- 1.5 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 0.5 tsp Cayenne Pepper , (or to taste)
- 0.5 tsp Garlic Powder
- 0.5 tsp Onion Powder
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Salt and Black Pepper
To serve
- 3 Spring Onions , finely sliced
- Fresh Flat-leaf Parsley , roughly chopped
- Hot Sauce (optional)
- Lemon Wedges (optional)
Method
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Pat the chicken chunks dry with kitchen paper and season well with salt, pepper, and a pinch of smoked paprika. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, wide, heavy-bottomed casserole or deep frying pan over a high heat. Brown the chicken in batches for 3–4 mins until golden on the outside - it doesn't need to be cooked through. Remove and set aside.
Tip: Browning the chicken and sausage before adding the vegetables builds a layer of flavour in the base of the pan that carries through the entire dish. Don't skip this step - the fond (browned bits) left in the pan is the foundation of the jambalaya's depth. -
Add the chorizo slices to the same pan over a medium-high heat and fry for 2–3 mins until lightly coloured and the fat has begun to render. Remove and set aside with the chicken.
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Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil to the pan. Add the onion, celery, and green and red peppers and cook for 8–10 mins, stirring occasionally, until completely softened. Add the garlic and cook for 2 mins more.
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Stir in the tomato purée, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook for 1–2 mins, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant.
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Add the rice to the pan and stir well to coat each grain in the spiced vegetable mixture. Cook for 1–2 mins to lightly toast the rice.
Tip: Toasting the rice briefly before adding the liquid helps the grains stay separate during cooking rather than becoming clumpy. Don't skip this step - it takes under 2 minutes and makes a noticeable difference to the finished texture. -
Return the chicken and chorizo to the pan. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock and add the bay leaves. Stir everything together and bring to a gentle boil. Season with salt and pepper.
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Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly with a lid, and cook for 20–22 mins until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is cooked through. Resist the urge to lift the lid during cooking - the steam is essential to cooking the rice evenly.
Tip: Every hob is different - check at 20 mins. If the rice is cooked but there's still liquid in the pan, remove the lid and cook for a further 2–3 mins over a medium heat. If the rice is not quite cooked but the liquid has been absorbed, add a small splash of stock, replace the lid, and cook for a further 5 mins. -
Remove the lid and nestle the prawns into the rice. Replace the lid and cook for a further 4–5 mins until the prawns are pink and just cooked through. Remove the bay leaves.
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Scatter over the spring onions and fresh parsley. Serve directly from the pan with hot sauce and lemon wedges alongside.
Alternatives & Variations
Reduce the chorizo to 75g or replace with a lean smoked chicken sausage - cuts the saturated fat and sodium significantly while keeping the smoky backbone of the dish
Use brown long-grain rice instead of white - adds fibre and a nuttier depth; increase the stock by 100ml and the covered cooking time by 10–15 mins
Skip the chorizo entirely and add an extra 100g of prawns - keeps the dish high in protein with a much lower fat content; add ½ tsp of liquid smoke to compensate for the smoky depth
Reduce the rice to 150g and add an extra celery stick and pepper - lowers the carbohydrate content while keeping the dish satisfying
This recipe is naturally gluten free with one caveat - check the smoked chorizo or sausage packaging as some brands contain wheat-based fillers or rusk. All other ingredients - chicken, prawns, rice, tinned tomatoes, stock, and spices - are naturally gluten free. Use a certified gluten free chicken stock cube or pot if you have a severe intolerance, and check the tomato purée label as a precaution.
FAQs
Around 1 hr 10 mins total - 25 mins of prep and 45 mins of cooking. It's a straightforward one-pan dish where most of the cooking time is the rice absorbing the liquid with the lid on and minimal attention required.
Rated Intermediate. The steps are all manageable but there are several components to build in sequence, and managing the rice - getting it cooked through without the liquid running dry or the bottom catching - requires a little attention. Once you've made it once, it becomes second nature.
Both are Creole Louisiana classics built on the holy trinity of onion, celery, and pepper, but they're very different dishes. Gumbo is a stew - it has a thick, dark roux-based sauce and is served over rice cooked separately. Jambalaya is a rice dish - the rice is cooked directly in the pot with the meat and stock, absorbing all the flavour as it cooks. Think of gumbo as a stew and jambalaya as a spiced one-pot rice dish.
Yes, though rice-based dishes are best eaten fresh. If freezing, cool completely and freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in a saucepan with a splash of stock or water, stirring gently over a medium-low heat until piping hot. The rice texture softens slightly on reheating but the flavour remains excellent.
It's best made fresh and eaten on the day - the rice continues to absorb liquid as it sits and can become stodgy if left for too long. That said, the chicken can be marinated and the vegetables prepped in advance, which significantly speeds up the cooking process. If making ahead, slightly undercook the rice so it finishes to the right texture on reheating.
Jambalaya is a complete meal in itself - rice, protein, and vegetables all in one pan. Crusty French bread or cornbread for mopping up the sauce is the classic accompaniment. A simple green salad on the side adds freshness. Hot sauce on the table is essential - Crystal or Tabasco are the most authentic Louisiana choices.
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