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Home » Main Meals » Easy homemade Jambalaya with chicken, chorizo and prawns

Easy homemade Jambalaya with chicken, chorizo and prawns

Author: VJ Published : August 2020 Modified : November 2022 / Be the first to comment!

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Jambalaya is a hearty dish of rice, chicken, spicy sausage (chorizo) and prawns, flavoured with tomatoes, garlic and plenty of spices. My easy homemade version of jambalaya with chicken, chorizo and prawns is so simple to make and it only takes 45 minutes.

Overhead shot of a dish of Creole jambalaya, with prawns.
Even though the rice soaks up most of the liquid, there’s still plenty of spicy sauce in this dish.

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Table Of Contents
  1. Homemade Jambalaya
  2. What you will need
  3. What to do
  4. Your questions answered
  5. Pin for later
  6. Other one-dish recipes
  7. The recipe
  8. Creole Jambalaya with chicken, chorizo and prawns

Homemade Jambalaya

I’ve never been to New Orleans in Louisiana, where this dish is said to have originated, so I can’t lay claim to having eaten the original Creole jambalaya. However, years ago, when I lived in South Africa, I worked for a subsidiary of a large American company. We often got American visitors who normally stayed in nearby hotels for the duration of their visit. I was chatting to one of the lady visitors one day, and she happened to mention how tired she was of hotel food, and how she missed her own home cooking. Of course, there was only one thing to do. I invited her round to my home, where she promptly took over the kitchen!

It appeared that Creole Jambalaya was to be on the menu and I was dispatched to the shops to pick up all the ingredients. Chicken, shrimp, andouille sausage, rice and various spices and vegetables. Unfortunately, andouille sausage was not available in the shops over there, so we had to settle for chorizo, which is a similar spicy sausage, liberally flavoured with paprika. It made a very good substitute.

History of Jambalaya

While we were cooking (well, actually I was only watching), I was given a brief history lesson. Jambalaya originated in the French quarter of New Orleans, where the Spanish settlers had attempted to make paella. As there was no saffron available, the Spanish substituted tomatoes. Later, a little French influence crept in with the addition of the andouille sausage.

Apparently, there are two versions of Jambalaya. The version we were making, which contains canned tomatoes, is known as Creole Jambalaya, or red Jambalaya. The other version doesn’t contain tomatoes and is known as Cajun Jambalaya or brown Jambalaya. It seems the further away you get from New Orleans, the less likely you will be to find tomatoes in your Jambalaya.

We dined like kings that night. on our homemade Jambalaya. The rice was perfectly cooked and had soaked up all the flavours of the tomatoes and spices; the chicken was nicely browned in the oil from the sausage; the prawns were plump and juicy, and the balance of spices was just right. Spicy, but not overpoweringly so. All we needed to add by way of accompaniment was a fresh green salad and a slice of garlic bread.

Luckily I wrote the Jambalaya recipe down while I was watching. I’ve made this Creole Jambalaya at home many times since, and I’m sharing it today so you can try it for yourself. I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Close up of Creole jambalaya.

What you will need

Equipment

For cutting up the meat and vegetables you will need a sharp knife and a chopping board.

To cook the jambalaya, you will need a saute pan or a large frying pan.

Ingredients

This recipe is sufficient for 4 people.

**You can get the complete list of ingredients and steps to make this easy homemade Jambalaya with chicken, chorizo and prawns on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

Ingredients for creole jambalaya.
These are the ingredients you will need for making Creole jambalaya:
  • Chicken – you can use either skinless chicken breast fillets or deboned thighs. I prefer to use thighs as they can withstand the cooking time without drying out. If you use breast meat, there’s a chance it may dry out in the time it takes the rice to cook.
  • Chorizo sausage – don’t skip this, it adds a delicious smokiness to the dish.
  • Prawns – these are raw frozen prawns that have been shelled and deveined.
  • Jambalaya calls for a trinity of vegetables made up of 2 parts onion, 1 part celery, and 1 part bell pepper. You can use any colour bell pepper you prefer. Creole Jambalaya is traditionally made with green bell pepper, but I prefer the taste of red, so that’s what I’ve used here.
  • Tomatoes – a can of chopped tomatoes, and for additional tomato flavour I like to add a tablespoon of tomato paste (or tomato puree).
  • Cajun spice – this should be readily available on the spice shelf at your local supermarket. Depending on the amount of cayenne pepper in your brand of Cajun spice, you may like to add additional chilli paste, or a finely chopped red chilli.
  • Paprika – to further enhance the smoky flavour.
  • Garlic – you can use either freshly crushed garlic cloves, or for convenience use ready-crushed garlic from a jar.
  • Olive oil – for frying.
  • Rice – this is just long-grained white rice – I like to use Basmati.
  • Stock cubes – you can use either chicken or vegetable flavour.
  • You may also need salt and pepper for seasoning.

What to do

Preparation

I like to prepare everything up-front before I start cooking.

  • Remove the skin and visible fat from the chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Cut the chorizo sausages into thin rings or smallish chunks.
  • Defrost the prawns. If you are using fresh prawns in their shells you should remove the shells and also remove the dark vein (or alimentary canal) from the back of the prawn.
  • Peel the onion, wash the celery stalks and wash the bell pepper and remove the seeds and inner membranes. Chop all the vegetables into approximately 1cm dice. If you are using fresh garlic, mince it finely.
  • If you have fresh chicken stock you can skip this step. Otherwise dissolve 2 chicken stock cubes in 2 cups of boiling water.

Cook the meat and vegetables

Onions, celery and red peppers being softened in a frying pan.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions, garlic, celery, chilli and red peppers over a medium heat until they start to soften.

Chicken pieces being browned in a pan.

Push the vegetables to one side, add the chicken pieces and continue to fry until the chicken turns white.

There is no need to cook the chicken all the way through, it will continue to cook in the sauce.

Chorizo sausage being browned in a pan.

Now push the chicken to one side and fry the chorizo until it starts to brown and release its fat.

Uncooked rice added to the jambalaya ingredients in a pan.

Stir everything together and add the rice.

Tomatoes and stock added to the Jambalaya.

Add the stock, paprika, cajun spice and tomatoes, and season with salt.

Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is cooked and the liquid has been absorbed.

Stir occasionally while the dish is cooking.

Creole jambalaya in a pan, covered with raw prawns.

If the mixture looks a little dry, add another splash of stock, but don’t make it too wet.

Add the prawns.

Creole jambalaya in a pan, covered with cooked prawns.

Cover with a lid and leave on a low heat until the prawns have cooked and turned pink.

Creole jambalaya in a pan, garnished with parsley.

Stir and garnish with chopped parsley.

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Your questions answered

What sort of rice should I use?

You can use any long or short-grained rice. I used basmati rice for this recipe. Brown rice can be used, but it will take much longer to cook so you may need to adjust both the cooking time and the amount of stock you add. Don’t use risotto or pudding rice as this type of rice contains too much starch and will make the dish stodgy.

Can I freeze Jambalaya?

Yes, you can freeze any leftovers. Just pack them in a rigid plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and you can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To use, allow to defrost in the refrigerator and then transfer to a large frying pan, cover with a lid, and heat gently until piping hot. Don’t turn up the heat too much or you run the risk of the rice burning on the bottom of the pan.
Alternatively, you could just reheat it in the microwave.

How long can I store leftovers?

Jambalaya can be safely stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for 2 days.

What is the difference between prawns and shrimp

There’s no difference. It just depends on where in the world you live. In the UK and most Commonwealth countries we call them prawns. In the US they are known as shrimp.

Overhead shot of a dish of Creole jambalaya, with prawns.

Pin for later

If you’d like to try this Creole Jambalaya recipe yourself, why not pin it to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily. Just click the image below.

Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

Other one-dish recipes

You may also like to try these other easy one-dish recipes:

  • Spicy fish and rice bake – juicy fillets of fish oven-baked in a spicy tomato sauce.
  • Garlic chicken and rice tray bake – succulent paprika-flavoured chicken thighs oven-baked on a bed of buttery garlic rice.
  • Pad Thai noodles with chicken and shrimp – all the flavours of Thailand combine in this delicious meal of Pad Thai Noodles with chicken and shrimp.
  • One pan pasta – ground beef and pasta shells cooked in a delicious onion and tomato sauce.
  • Unstuffed cabbage rolls – all the flavour of cabbage rolls but with none of the effort. This one-pan dish of beef mince, cabbage and vegetables in a tasty tomato sauce is the perfect mid-week meal.

The recipe

Creole jambalaya in a large pan with a serving spoon.

Creole Jambalaya with chicken, chorizo and prawns

Jambalaya is a hearty dish of rice, chicken, spicy sausage (chorizo) and prawns, flavoured with tomatoes, garlic and plenty of spices. My easy homemade version of jambalaya with chicken, chorizo and prawns is so simple to make and it only takes 45 minutes.
Recipe by: Veronica
Main Course
American
Calories 917
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 people
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5 from 2 votes

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Equipment

  • Sharp Knife
  • Chopping Board
  • Large frying pan
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 8 ounce / 225 grams boneless chicken thighs
  • 6 ounce / 180 grams frozen shelled prawns
  • 4 ounce / 100 grams andouille or chorizo sausage
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 red bell pepper / capsicum
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 2 cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon crushed garlic from a jar
  • 1 – 2 small chilli peppers optional (or 1 teaspoon chilli paste)
  • 14 ounce / 410 gram can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons tomato paste / tomato puree
  • 2 chicken stock cubes
  • 1 cup / 200 grams uncooked long grain rice
  • 2 teaspoons cajun spice
  • 2 teaspoons smoked dried paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Preparation

  • Remove the skin and visible fat from the chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Cut the sausages into thin rings or smallish chunks. Defrost the prawns.
    8 ounce / 225 grams boneless chicken thighs, 4 ounce / 100 grams andouille or chorizo sausage, 6 ounce / 180 grams frozen shelled prawns
  • Peel the onion, wash the celery stalks and wash the bell pepper and remove the seeds and inner membranes. Chop all the vegetables into approximately 1cm dice. If you are using fresh garlic, mince it finely.
    1 large onion, 1 red bell pepper / capsicum, 2 stalks celery, 2 cloves garlic, 1 – 2 small chilli peppers
  • If you have fresh chicken stock you can skip this step, otherwise dissolve the chicken stock cubes in 2 cups of boiling water.
    2 chicken stock cubes

Jambalaya

  • Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions, garlic, celery, chilli and red peppers over a medium heat until they start to soften.
    2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Push the vegetables to one side, add the chicken pieces and continue to fry until the chicken turns white.
  • Push the chicken to one side and fry the chorizo until it starts to brown and release its fat.
  • Stir everything together and add the rice.
    1 cup / 200 grams uncooked long grain rice
  • Add the can of chopped tomatoes, the spices and the prepared stock.
    14 ounce / 410 gram can chopped tomatoes, 1 – 2 tablespoons tomato paste / tomato puree, 2 teaspoons cajun spice, 2 teaspoons smoked dried paprika, 1 teaspoon salt
  • Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is cooked and the liquid has been absorbed. Stir occasionally.
  • If the mixture looks a little dry, add another splash of stock, but don’t make it too wet.
  • Add the prawns. Cover with a lid and leave on a low heat until the prawns have cooked and turned pink.
  • Remove from the heat and serve immediately with a fresh green salad and slices of crispy garlic bread.

Notes

You can use any colour bell pepper (red, green, yellow, orange).
If the rice starts to dry out in the sauce add a little more chicken stock.  Don’t overdo it though – you don’t want the jambalaya to turn runny.
If the prawns are not sufficiently cooked after 5 minutes you can leave them to simmer for a few minutes longer.
This dish can be frozen for up to 2 months.
 

Nutrition

Calories – 917kcal | Carbohydrates – 51.1g | Protein – 60.9g | Fat – 50.8g | Saturated Fat – 14g | Cholesterol – 303mg | Sodium – 1673mg | Potassium – 408mg | Fiber – 4.6g | Sugar – 7.4g | Calcium – 151mg | Iron – 6mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Main Meals

About VJ

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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