Jambalaya Recipe – How to Make Jambalaya Rice

What is Jambalaya?

Jambalaya is a rice dish that is common in Louisiana and it is made of long-grain rice cooked in a rice stock consisting of meat such as chicken, vegetables, and seafood. It is also called Jumbled recipe or Mixed up recipe, or Pilaf of Rice. Jambalaya recipe is similar to Jollof Rice that is very common in Nigeria, Ghana, and other West African countries.

Is Jambalaya creole or cajun?

Cajun Jambalaya vs Creole Jambalaya

The Creole Jambalaya (also known as ‘Red Jambalaya‘) includes tomatoes while the Cajun Jambalaya (all known as ‘Louisiana Jambalaya recipe‘) does not add tomatoes and it is common in the southwestern and south-central parts of Louisiana.

Cajun Jambalaya (or Louisiana Jambalaya) is brown in color while the Creole Jambalaya is red in color.

White Jambalaya

A not-so-common method of cooking Jambalaya is also used where the cooking time is shortened involves cooking vegetables and meat separately from the rice for Jambalaya; afterward, the rice and Jambalaya sauce made from the meat and vegetables are then served with the rice – this produces a type of Jambalaya known as “White Jambalaya“.

Jambalaya Vs Gumbo

1. It is easier to prepare Jambalaya than preparing gumbo, étouffée, and creole recipes.
2. The rice for Jambalaya is cooked in a rich stock made by cooking the vegetables, meat, and seafood; whereas, in the Gumbo recipe, the rice is cooked separately from the Gumbo.

Jambalaya vs Etouffee (étouffée)

In the Etouffee recipe, the rice is also cooked separately as in Gumbo and then served with the sauce made from vegetables, meat, and seafood.

Ingredients

• 2 and 1/2 cups of Basmati rice or Jasmine rice
• 5 pieces of Andouille Sausage
• 300 grams of boneless chicken pieces
• 1 cup of Shrimps or crawfish
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 tbsp of Creole seasoning
• 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp of Smoked Paprika
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 cup of chopped Tomatoes
• 2 tbsp of Tomato paste
• 1 Bouillon cube
• 1 tsp and 1/4 tsp of Cayenne pepper
• 3 minced Garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp of thyme
• 2 pieces of Red Bell Peppers
• 1 tbsp of Oregano
• 3 Celery sticks
• 1 tbsp of Black pepper powder
• 2 pieces of Green Bell Peppers
• 1 medium-sized Onion
• 1 tsp of Salt
• 2 tbsp of Olive oil

How to Make Chicken Jambalaya with sausage and shrimps

1.  Ensure you chop the sausages, onions, red and green bell peppers, and celery sticks.
2.  Season the chicken pieces with 1 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 chicken stock cube (bouillon cube), and 1/4 tsp of salt; stir to combine and keep set aside.
3.  To a pot on the stovetop, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and allow the oil to be heated.
4.  Once the oil is heated, add the chopped sausages and fry until they are golden brown. Fry the sausages on one side for a minute until they are brown, and then turn over to the other side and fry also until they are brown. Smoked sausages are used in Jambalaya recipes
5.  Next, add the chicken and fry while stirring until it is brown also; remove the fried chicken and sausages and keep them aside.
6.  To the same pot, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and then bring in the chopped onions and stir fry until they are fragrant.
7.  Also, add the chopped celery, red and green bell peppers; and stir fry until the vegetables are soft; this should take 3 minutes.
8.  Now, add the minced garlic cloves and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.
9. Next, add 2 tbsp of tomato paste and stir fry with the vegetables to help get rid of the sour taste of tomatoes; after that, add the diced fresh tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
10.  Add the fried chicken and sausages back into the pot.
11.  Season the Jambalaya sauce with some Jambalaya seasonings such as creole seasoning, black pepper powder, thyme, oregano, smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Stir the Jambalaya sauce to combine with the seasonings.
12.  Now, add 4 cups of chicken broth and stir to deglaze the pot.
13.  Add 2 bay leaves and the basmati rice (ensure you wash the basmati rice thoroughly with water to reduce the starch content).
14.  Also, add 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce and now stir everything together to combine.
15.  Arrange the shrimps on top of the rice and cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes or until the water dries up.
16.  Turn off the heat after 30 minutes and your homemade Jambalaya is ready. You can remove the bay leaves and serve your jumbled recipe.