Jambalaya Recipe - How to Make Jambalaya Rice
Jambalaya is a rice dish that is common in Louisiana and it is made of long-grain rice such as Basmati or Jasmine; it is cooked in a rich stock consisting of meat such as chicken, sausages, vegetables, and seafood (shrimps or crawfish). There are different methods of making Jambalaya - the creole or cajun method; each method is slightly different and is differentiated in the article section.
Servings 6 people
Calories 576kcal
Ingredients
- 2½ cups Basmati rice - or Jasmine rice or any other long grain rice can be used for Jambalaya.
- 5 pieces Andouille Sausage - or any smoked sausage
- 300 grams Boneless chicken pieces
- 1 cup Shrimps or crawfish
- 4 cups Chicken broth
- 1 tbsp Creole seasoning
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 whole Bay leaves
- 1 cup chopped Tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 whole Bouillon cube
- 1¼ tsp Cayenne pepper
- 3 cloves minced Garlic
- 1 tbsp Thyme
- 2 pieces Red Bell Peppers
- 1 tbsp Oregano
- 3 sticks Celery
- 1 tbsp Black pepper powder
- 2 pieces Green Bell Peppers
- 1 whole medium-sized Onion
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
Instructions
- Start by chopping the sausages, onions, red and green bell peppers, and celery sticks; and keep aside.
- Season the chicken pieces with 1 tsp of cayenne pepper, 1 chicken stock cube (bouillon cube), and ¼ tsp of salt; stir to combine and keep set aside.
- To a pot on the stovetop, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and allow the oil to be heated.
- 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.
- Next, add the chicken and fry while stirring until it is brown also; remove the fried chicken and sausages and keep them aside.
- To the same pot, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and then bring in the chopped onions and stir fry until they are fragrant.
- Also, add the chopped celery, red and green bell peppers; and stir fry until the vegetables are soft; this should take 3 minutes.
- Now, add the minced garlic cloves and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 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, stir to mix and then cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the fried chicken and sausages back into the pot.
- 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.
- Now, add 4 cups of chicken broth and stir to deglaze the pot.
- Add 2 bay leaves and the basmati rice (ensure you wash the basmati rice thoroughly with water to reduce the starch content).
- Also, add 2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce and now stir everything together to combine.
- Arrange the shrimps on top of the rice and cover and cook on low heat for 30 minutes or until the water dries up.
- After 30 minutes, your homemade Jambalaya rice recipe is ready!
Video
Notes
Jambalaya is similar to gumbo, étouffée, and Jollof rice with some slight differences. It combines the style of cooking rice by West Africans, French, and Spanish. Jambalaya is also called Jumbled or Mixed up recipe.