Celebrate Mardi Gras at home with an absolutely irresistible Easy Jambalaya Recipe loaded with colorful veggies, tender bold blackened chicken, Zatarain’s Andouille Smoked Sausage, and Cajun-spiced rice! This Easy Jambalaya is a party all of its own! Let the good times roll!
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Mardi Gras is almost here y’all!, and that’s why I’m sharing an incredible Andouille and Blackened Chicken Jambalaya Skillet today filled with Zatarain’s Smoked Sausage! It is truly an ode to my absolute favorite food city in the world, New Orleans, and it is the perfect recipe to feed to your family right at your home dinner table!
In 2016, I made my first pilgrimage to Louisiana for work, and by 2018 I’d been there about 5 times. New Orleans is simply a city that I can’t get enough of! Full of adventure, music, and excitement, this historic city holds a special place in my heart. And y’all, I cannot wait to go back!
Though I absolutely adore the energy of the city, it’s truly the food that keeps calling my name. From catfish and grits from Brigtsen’s to the ultimate jazz brunch at Antoine’s, there is crave-worthy food on just about every corner. With each trip I discover something new and exciting, yet still somehow rich with familiarity.
Perks and Highlights of this Easy Jambalaya Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Cajun/Creole
There’s nothing like the bold flavors of the Bayou to get your taste buds twerking. This jambalaya is all about that spicy, savory, southern love!
Primary Cooking Method: One-Skillet Wonder
Imagine all the rich flavors of Louisiana comfort food simmering together in one big skillet of joy. That’s what this easy jambalaya recipe brings to your table.
Dietary Info: Omnivore’s Delight
With a hearty mix of proteins and spices, this dish dances between food groups. It’s a carnivore’s carnival, but can easily swing vegetarian by swapping in plant-based alternatives.
Key Flavor: Bold & Spicy
We’re serving up a flavor explosion! Think smoky, spicy, and everything nice-y. This jambalaya brings the heat without scorching your soul.
Skill Level: Easy-Breezy
No chef’s hat required! If you can stir, you can cook. Perfect for kitchen newbies and busy foodies alike.
Special Perks:
- Time-Saver Supreme: Using a store-bought mix doesn’t make you a cheat; it makes you a kitchen strategist. You’ll get authentic flavors without the fuss, faster than you can say “Laissez les bons temps rouler!”
- Flexibility is Key: Got chicken? Sausage? Shrimp? Tofu? Throw in whatever proteins tickle your fancy or clean out your fridge.
- Scale Up, Scale Down: Cooking for one, two, or a few? This recipe adjusts like a dream, perfect for any table size.
- Meal Prep Magic: Today’s mouth-watering dinner is tomorrow’s envy-inducing lunch. This jambalaya is flavor-packed day one and beyond.
- Crowd-Pleaser Alert: From picky kids to gourmet pals, this dish has a fan club. It’s a one-pot wonder that brings the party to your palate.
Ingredients
Jambalaya is a classic Creole dish and, today, we’re putting an easy yet insanely flavorful spin on it. Using Zatarain’s high-quality, natural products, we’re whipping up an Andouille and Blackened Chicken Jambalaya Skillet that goes toe-to-toe with some of the BEST food New Orleans has to offer!
Check out the ingredients we’re working with:
- Chicken Thighs are always ideal when you’re looking for tender, juicy meat that doesn’t dry out fast. Thighs are known for retaining moisture and soaking up lots of flavor. Not a fan of thighs? Skin-on chicken breasts can also be used here.
- Blackened Seasoning is a heat filled blend of various spices that brings the flavors of New Orleans right to your kitchen. This is my go-to seasoning for fish, chicken, or even steak!
- Olive or Vegetable Oil will help to crisp up that chicken skin, render fat, and create depth of flavor.
- Andouille Smoked Sausage is made with 100% pork and perfectly seasoned! It also contains no artificial colors or flavors, no by-products, no MSG, and is gluten free. BIG WIN! It is a wonderful addition for stewed beans, soups, and rice dishes like this one. I absolutely LOVE the subtle heat and richness Zatarain’s Andouille Sausage adds to this skillet. It really is the STAR!
- Onion, Bell Pepper, and Celery are the holy trinity of Southern cooking. Together, they add aroma, texture, and earthy flavor.
- Roma Tomatoes are full of sweet juice that bursts with each bite. I find that tomatoes brighten up this dish and offer a lovely addition of color.
- Zatarain’s Family-Size Rice Dinner Mix is the perfect way to enjoy the soul of New Orleans cooking in your own home. Trust me, these boxes have got the family-size portions and the family-sized flavors to match.
- Chicken Stock is not only the liquid in which we’re cooking the rice, but it’s also a wonderful addition of flavor. If you’re short on stock, broth or just about any other variety of stock will work. Even water in a pinch!
- Parsley just adds some vibrant color and a POP of herby taste!
How to Make Easy Jambalaya
- Spice Up Your Life: Grab your chicken and give it the royal treatment with a generous sprinkle of Zatarain’s Blackened Seasoning. Give it a good toss to coat those pieces well. Now, let it chill in the fridge for 10 minutes if you’re a little spicy, or up to 3 hours if you’re on fire!
- Temperature Tango: Time to cook? Pull out that chicken and let it do the room-temp rumba. It’s all about even cooking, baby.
- Sizzle and Simmer: In your trusty pot or Dutch oven, heat that oil till it shimmers like a disco ball. Sear your chicken for 5 minutes, get it golden and gorgeous, then set it aside. Cue the Zatarain’s Andouille Smoked Sausage and let it boogie in the pot for 2-3 minutes. Scoop out half and let it join the chicken on the sidelines.
- Veggie Jam Session: Throw in your holy trinity – onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté till they’re shiny and jamming, then invite the diced tomatoes to the party. Keep the groove going for another 2 minutes.
- Rice and Spice and Everything Nice: It’s time for the main act – Zatarain’s Family Size Jambalaya Rice Dinner Mix. Get it all in there and stir to the beat until everything’s nice and tight.
- Liquid Love: Pour in the chicken stock (or water), stir like you mean it, and bring it to a boil. Then, drop the heat to low, cover it up, and let it simmer for 25 soulful minutes.
- Cool Down: After 25 minutes, hit the off switch. Let it chill in its own heat for 5 more minutes. Patience, darling.
- Serve with Flair: Fluff that jambalaya like it’s a feather boa, top it with your spicy chicken and sausage, garnish with parsley, and serve up that masterpiece!
- Rice and Spice and Everything Nice: It’s time for the main act – Zatarain’s Family Size Jambalaya Rice Dinner Mix. Get it all in there and stir to the beat until everything’s nice and tight.
- Liquid Love: Pour in the chicken stock (or water), stir like you mean it, and bring it to a boil. Then, drop the heat to low, cover it up, and let it simmer for 25 soulful minutes.
- Cool Down: After 25 minutes, hit the off switch. Let it chill in its own heat for 5 more minutes. Patience, darling.
Serve with Flair: Fluff that jambalaya like it’s a feather boa, top it with your spicy chicken and sausage, garnish with parsley, and serve up that masterpiece!
Leftover Storage and Reheating
The best way to store leftover jambalaya is to allow it to completely cool to room temperature, then store it in an air-tight container. Before storing, I like to divide the leftovers into individual portions for easier reheating. Refrigerated jambalaya will keep for up to 4 days.
To reheat: spoon the jambalaya onto a microwave-safe plate or bowl (if it’s already in a microwave-safe container, just remove the lid), then layer a moistened paper towel over the top. Heat the jambalaya for 30-60 seconds or until steaming hot. You might want to mix around the rice halfway, just to make sure everything is evenly heated through.
Alternatively, jambalaya can be reheated on the stovetop. Preheat a non-stick skillet to medium heat, add a tablespoon of water broth to the skillet, and pour in the jambalaya. Allow the rice and meat to reheat for about 5 minutes, mixing occasionally.
Favorite New Orleans Inspired Recipes
When I can’t make my way down South for that Cajun fare fix, I make it myself. Take a trip with me by whipping up some of the BEST food New Orleans has to offer! Try pairing my Jambalaya Skillet with some of the recipes below to really have an explosive Mardi Gras celebration.
Check ‘em out:
- New Orleans Hurricane
- The Best Shrimp Po’Boy
- Authentic New Orleans Beignets
- Seafood Gumbo
- Red Beans and Rice
- Shrimp Etouffee.
Andouille and Blackened Chicken Jambalaya Skillet
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Ingredients
- 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs sliced
- 2 tsp Zatarain’s Blackened Seasoning
- 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
- 14 oz Zatarain’s Andouille Smoked Sausage sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
- 1/2 cup green bell peppers diced
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1 cup roma tomatoes 2 medium, diced
- 12 oz Zatarain’s Family Size Jambalaya Rice Dinner Mix
- 3 3/4 cup chicken stock or broth or water
- parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Add the sliced chicken to a mixing bowl and season with Zatarain’s Blackened Seasoning. Toss the chicken in the spice blend to thoroughly combine. Place in the bowl in the refrigerator covered and allow the chicken to marinate anywhere from 10 minutes (slight heat) to 3 hours (insane major heat!).
- When ready to cook, remove from the refrigerator and allow it to come back to room temperature.
- In a 4-quart dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken to the pot. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm on a platter.
- Add the sliced Zatarain’s Andouille Smoked Sausage to the pot. Brown the sausage for 2-3 minutes then remove half and add to the platter to stay warm.
- Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and celery to the pot. Sauté the veggies for 2 minutes, or until they appear glossy.
- Next, add the diced tomatoes to the pot. Sauté them with the rest of the ingredients for 2 minutes more.
- Stir the entire pouch of Zatarain’s Family Size Jambalaya Rice Dinner Mix into the pot, ensuring that you incorporate the grains of rice and spice mixture completely.
- Pour the chicken stock (or water) into the pot and stir well. Bring the liquid in the pot up to a boil.
- Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer the jambalaya for 25 minutes.
- After 25 minutes, turn the heat off completely. Allow the pot to sit on the warm burner for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, fluff the Jambalaya, top with the sliced chicken thighs and remaining sausage, along with some parsley, and serve.
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This was so delish! I made some changes due to my cooking skill level and it still turned out great. I cooked my sausage 2-3 minutes like stated but at the end I noticed the pic and it looks like it was cooked a lot longer. I used canned diced tomatoes (drained) and didn’t remove any of the chicken or sausage and cooked it the whole time. We will definitely be making this again!
If you have timid palates in your home, be aware that the Blackened Seasoning and Andouille Sausage have the potential to add a lot of heat to the dish. You can cut down on this by (1) substituting a good quality pure smoked pork sausage such as Polish Kielbasa, which is recommended as a suitable substitute in the Poorman’s Jambalaya recipe published in Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen and (2) reducing the amount of Blackened Seasoning added to the chicken.
If you have never made jambalaya, this recipe is a good place to start. It works well using Zatarain’s Jambalaya Mix and Jocelyn’s addition of “trinity” (onions, bell peppers and celery) elevates the dish and yields a more authentic result. Perhaps using the mix adds some degree of convenience and gives confidence to the inexperienced cook; however, making jambalaya from scratch is just as easy. Since the vegetables, sausage, and chicken need to be cut up anyway and the chicken stock needs to be measured, the only additional tasks with a scratch recipe are measuring the converted rice and adding commercial Creole seasoning to the mixture. If you are feeling really ambitious, you can mix up a batch of your own (Chef Paul’s mixture contains bay leaves, salt, white pepper, dry mustard, ground red pepper (cayenne), gumbo filé powder, black pepper, dried thyme leaves, cumin).
For heart-health reasons, we’re avoiding red meat. Can you suggest an adaption that omits the andouille but preserves the flavor?
There are turkey and chicken andouille available. I think the brand Amylou is what i grabbed last time
I’m always hungry for good southern recipes! This flavorful skillet is filled with so many delicious tastes and textures. It’s a comfort-food favorite!
This was a huge hit for dinner last night! Will definitely make it again!
I have never tried Zatarain’s seasoning mix before, but will def be trying for some of that spiciness I love!
For a better variation- mix the jumbolaya mix and the gumbo mix. Follow direction for gumbo
This jambalaya is bursting with flavors indeed! I love that it’s so doable, too!
Jambalaya is such a comforting dish…this sounds and looks absolutely marvelous. We’re snowed in here at the moment, so this would a a perfect meal for the family over the weekend!