If you’re looking for an easy-to-make dish that will tantalize your taste buds, my One-Pan Skillet Jambalaya is just what you’re looking for!
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A world of flavors awaits you with our Jambalaya recipe, and it’s not that hard to make that journey. It may be a little outside of your flavor comfort zone, but it’s well worth it!
Made with succulent shrimp, andouille sausage, and chicken, blended together with rice, okra, and tomatoes, and seasoned to perfection. A taste of Louisiana awaits you with our Creole version of this classic recipe.
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients to prepare our Skillet Jambalaya recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Can I make jambalaya without shrimp?
Yes, you can. The first rule of cooking at home is to make food you enjoy eating. If you don’t want to add shrimp, leave them out.
How to make Jambalaya
Follow along with my simple step-by-step instructions to learn how to make jambalaya in your home kitchen.
Combine the seasonings and dredge the chicken and shrimp in the creole seasoning. Set aside until needed.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then add the garlic, onions, peppers, and saute them for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the rice and continue to saute for another few minutes, lowering the heat to medium. Add more olive oil if needed.
- Add the tomatoes, okra, Worcestershire, and hot sauce to the pan.
- Add the chicken stock and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Stir the mixture as needed to ensure the ingredients are well-blended and do not stick to the pan.
- Add chicken and andouille sausage to the pan (not pictured), cover, and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Add the shrimp to the pan and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the shrimp are fully cooked (avoid overcooking).
I don’t make my Skillet Jambalaya too spicy, but you can easily kick up the heat in your recipe a few notches if you enjoy a little more spice in your food.
And have a little fun when you’re cooking up this kind of deliciousness in your kitchen with some of your favorite music. It’s okay to sing and do a little happy dance while you’re cooking.
As they say in Louisiana- Laissez les bons temps rouler. For you and me, that means– Let the good times roll! After one bite, you’ll understand why.
Recipe FAQ’s
Cajun jambalaya can have a deeper, smokier flavor due to this browning process. And generally won’t use tomatoes. Cajun jambalaya is found in the more rural areas of Louisiana.
Creole Jambalaya is found in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, where the Creole culture is more prevalent, and typically incorporates tomatoes into the dish.
Cajun Jambalaya, which doesn’t contain tomatoes, will be a drier version of this dish, even having a browned texture and color from cooking in a drier pan.
The Creole version with the added tomatoes will be a soupier, wetter version due to the addition of tomatoes.
The main difference between the two is that gumbo recipes almost always use a roux, which is cooked until dark in color.
Jambalaya is more of a one-pot dish that doesn’t use a roux for thickening or coloring. Jambalaya will also include rice that is cooked into the dish.
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How to Make Skillet Jambalaya
Ingredients
Jambalaya
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped red or green bell pepper
- 15 oz canned diced tomatoes in juice
- 1 cup sliced okra fresh or frozen
- 3 clove garlic chopped
- 1 ½ cups white rice
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 4 boneless chicken thighs cut into chunks
- 12 large raw shrimp – peeled and cleaned
- 6 ounces Andouille sausage – sliced
- olive oil for sauteing
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
Creole Seasoning
- 2 ½ tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated onion
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
Creole Seasoning
- Combine spices and mix well.
Jambalaya
- dredge chicken and shrimp in cajun seasonings and set aside
- In a large hot skillet add olive oil
- Add the garlic, onions, peppers, and saute over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes
- Add in rice and continue to saute for another few minutes, lowering heat to medium, adding more olive oil if needed
- Add chicken stock, tomatoes, okra, Worcestershire and hot sauce. Turn heat down to med low and cover and allow to simmer for 10 – 12 minutes
- Occasionally stir the mixture to make sure all of the ingredients are well blended and not sticking to the pan.
- Add chicken and andouille sausage to pan cover and allow to cook for an additional 8-10 minutes on medium low.
- Add shrimp to Jambalaya and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes or until shrimp are fully cooked.*if more liquid is needed anytime during the cooking process add in more stock or water.
- Place in a large serving dish arranging shrimp and sausage, sprinkling with chopped parsley. Serve and enjoy.
Denniss Latchum says
Once Again Chef Dennis has come through with an easy and delicious recipe! There were 4 of us (two with apatite’s) and we had a lot left over. This did not fit into my 12″ skillet though so I had to transfer to a pot which was fine really. I added extra tomato and liquid and for a treat used Mexican oregano. GREAT RECIPE!!! Thank you Chef Dennis!
Larry says
Looks outstanding Chef and pretty easy to make – I like one pot meals.