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!

overhead view of jambalaya in a pan

An easy jambalaya recipe that is famous in New Orleans, Louisiana…made easily in your home kitchen in less than 45 minutes.

Skillet dinners are easy weeknight favorites and sometimes you need a change from traditional chicken, shrimp fried rice or pasta skillets. This easy rice dish comes with traditional cajun flavor and is loaded with three meats: shrimp, chicken and sausage. It’s fresh, light and tastes amazing! You’re going to fall in love with this one pan jambalaya!

Ingredients

ingredients in one pan jambalaya on a table

What you can prep ahead:

Although this one-pot meal 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 boneless skinless chicken breast and sausage. 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!

How to Make One Pot Jambalaya

You’ll need a large skillet to make this one-pot 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. Sauté the onion, bell 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.

satueed sausage, chicken and veggies in a pan
  1. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, cajun seasoning, basil, thyme, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Stir in the chicken stock (or chicken broth) 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.

shrimp over rice in a pan
  1. 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.

What to Serve with Jambalaya

Here are our favorite side dishes for this one pot jambalaya:

You may also love our cajun shrimp salad, cajun potato salad, smoked shrimp and shrimp pasta.

closeup of jambalaya with shrimp and sausage in a pan
closeup of jambalaya with shrimp and sausage in a pan

One Pot Jambalaya

4.69 from 166 votes
This recipe is traditional casserole made with shrimp, chicken, and sausage. A one pot jambalaya recipe that’s easy and full of cajun flavor!
Servings 8
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

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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 & black pepper to taste
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 ½ cup long grain 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. 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 yellow onion, 2 red bell peppers, 1 jalapeño pepper, 3 stalks celery, 5 cloves garlic
  • 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. 1 chicken breast, 1 pound andouille sausage
  • Stir in the crushed tomatoes, cajun seasoning, basil, thyme, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 14 ounces crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 bay leaf, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, salt & black pepper
  • 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. 3 cups chicken stock, 1 ½ cup long grain rice
  • 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. 1 pound shrimp

Notes

  • Use kielbasa or pork sausage if you can’t find andouille sausage.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
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 JulieJulie Clark

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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4.69 from 166 votes (157 ratings without comment)
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Laura
4 months ago

5 stars
This recipe for the Jambalaya is delicious!

Martha
7 months ago

5 stars
Love the recipe but have lots left over. Will it freeze and still be good?

Percy
1 year ago

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

Lori
1 year 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
1 year 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
1 year 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
2 years ago

5 stars
Still cooking this dish but it smells amazing!

Nicole
2 years 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!

James
2 years 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
2 years 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
4 years ago

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