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Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya | Gluten-Free

60 mins 519 cals 8 servs

Dairy-FreeDinnerGluten-FreeLow-FatLunchNut-FreePoultry, Red Meat & PorkRecipesRefined Sugar-FreeSoy-Free

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Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya has all of the flavors of an authentic jambalaya recipe.  This sausage jambalaya comes together easily in one pot, is gluten-free and dairy-free for a simple and healthier Cajun dinner recipe.

Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya has all of the flavors of authentic jambalaya. It comes together easily in one pot, is gluten-free and dairy-free for a simple and healthier cajun dinner recipe.

Cajun blood runs deep within my veins.

My feet start tapping when a song I know comes on,

the dance floor always calls my name,

summertime means I turn a nice golden brown,

and I am a HUGE fan of sea critters, jambalaya, and crawfish etouffee.

I grew up in a small town called Orange, Texas — just enough miles within the border of Texas and Lousiana to truly call myself a Texan.

My mom was born and raised about 25 miles outside of New Orleans, Louisiana.

My Nanny and Papa, aunt, uncle and cousins still live in the same little town where she grew up.

Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya has all of the flavors of authentic jambalaya. It comes together easily in one pot, is gluten-free and dairy-free for a simple and healthier cajun dinner recipe.

Every year we visit for Christmas.  And every Christmas we “Texas-folk” get to experience authentic Cajun cooking.

My Nanny will order in catering from this incredible Cajun restaurant down the street and we will all pig out on etouffee and sausage and chicken Cajun jambalaya.  It’s truly incredible!!

Now that my husband and I live in the heart of Texas, finding true Cajun food is kind of difficult.

With Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday coming up, I start to crave comfort foods like this sausage and chicken Cajun jambalaya.

Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya has all of the flavors of authentic jambalaya. It comes together easily in one pot, is gluten-free and dairy-free for a simple and healthier cajun dinner recipe.

What makes this Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya so awesome?

There are a few things I absolutely love about this chicken Cajun jambalaya recipe:

  • This jambalaya is made in one pot!!  Yup, no piles of dirty dishes to clean up afterward.
  • You can absolutely make it your own.  Are you vegetarian or vegan?  Leave out the meat and swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.

Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya has all of the flavors of authentic jambalaya. It comes together easily in one pot, is gluten-free and dairy-free for a simple and healthier cajun dinner recipe.

  • Need a recipe to feed a crowd?  This sausage and chicken Cajun jambalaya recipe will make a TON of food!!  It is perfect for your upcoming Fat Tuesday gathering or potluck gather.
  • It makes great leftovers.  Like I said above — this sausage and chicken Cajun jambalaya recipe makes a lot of food.  So if you’re not having a party, you and your family can enjoy this jambalaya for days.  Simply add a touch of water or broth before reheating and enjoy
  • There are no hard-to-find or gluten-filled seasoning ingredients used.  Most chicken Cajun jambalaya recipes call for a seasoning mix such as Tony’s.  Unfortunately, most seasoning mixes contain traces of wheat.  This jambalaya recipe teaches you how to mix up your own Cajun seasoning so you don’t have to go on a grocery-store-hunt!
Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya has all of the flavors of authentic jambalaya. It comes together easily in one pot, is gluten-free and dairy-free for a simple and healthier cajun dinner recipe.
4.71 from 17 votes
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Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya

Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya has all of the flavors of authentic jambalaya. It comes together easily in one pot, is gluten-free and dairy-free for a simple and healthier Cajun dinner recipe.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Cajun
Keyword cajun jambalaya, chicken and sausage jambalaya
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8 servings
Calories 519 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil divided
  • 1 ½ lbs. chicken cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 12 oz. andouille link sausage cut into ½-inch slices
  • 1 ½ tsp. salt divided
  • ¾ tsp. pepper divided
  • 2 cups sweet onion finely chopped
  • 1 cup celery finely chopped
  • 1 cup green bell pepper finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 tsp. thyme dried
  • 1 tsp. basil dried
  • ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce gluten free
  • 6 oz. can tomato paste
  • 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
  • 2 ½ cups long grain white rice rinsed and drained
  • 4 ½ - 5 cups chicken broth
  • Fresh parsley finely chopped
  • See this recipe in Meal Plan #7

Instructions

  1. In a large pot, or Dutch oven, add 1 tablespoon oil, sausage, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook for 2 minutes.
  2. Add chicken and continue cooking over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
  3. Remove sausage and chicken from the pot and set aside.

  4. Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil into the Dutch oven and then add onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes, or until vegetables are almost tender. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.

  5. Place chicken and sausage back into the pot.
  6. In a small bowl combine remaining 1 teaspoon salt, ½ tsp pepper, thyme, basil and cayenne pepper. Toss to combine.

  7. Add seasoning mix, Worcestershire, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes to the meat and veggies. Stir to combine.

  8. Next, place rice and 4 ½ cup broth in the pot. Stir to completely combine. Over medium heat, wait for the ingredients to come to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and let jambalaya simmer for 30-40 minutes.

  9. Check on the jambalaya at 25 minutes and see if it needs additional liquid. If you have a pot that burns, this would be a good time to give the bottom of your pot a stir to loosen up any potentially dried rice.

  10. Once rice is completely cooked, serve immediately with fresh parsley and enjoy!  See this recipe in Meal Plan #7

Nutrition Facts
Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya
Amount Per Serving
Calories 519 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 61mg 20%
Sodium 1114mg 46%
Potassium 826mg 24%
Total Carbohydrates 59g 20%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Sugars 6g
Protein 20g 40%
Vitamin A 22.7%
Vitamin C 58.8%
Calcium 7.6%
Iron 16.8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Want more recipes like this Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya?

Cajun Sausage & Shrimp Gumbo

Baked Parmesan & Garlic Chicken Wings

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

Easy Chicken Pad See Ewe

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Vegetables

 

Note: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.

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Comments


  2. I made this last Sunday for friends and everyone raved about it! I’m making it again tonight for a potluck. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  3. Do you happen to have the nutritional info for a serving size of this? Looking to make this tonight, looks amazing!

    Reply

    • Hi Katy! I do not have the nutritional info for this recipe, but if you plug in the ingredients on MyFitnessPal’s recipe calculator you should be able to get the information. I am considering including nutritional info in upcoming recipes. Thanks so much for your comment!

      Reply


  4. Hi!
    Thanks so much for posting this recipe. Both husband and I wanted something different and home cooked. Decided on jambalaya and choose this recipe to try over several others because the picture looked so good and the ingredients weren’t overly complicated. It’s delicious! Definitely one to add to our favorite recipe collection. I’m trying to add more veggies to my diet and wondered what kind of beans would you recommend? I bought a can of small red beans from Goya but I’m not sure if their flavor would go well with this.

    Thanks!
    -Tia

    Reply

    • Hi Tia!! I am so happy you and your husband enjoyed it. Another popular “Cajun” dish, and probably my mom’s favorite, is red beans and rice… so I think red beans would go great in the jambalaya! For more veggies, you could also add more bell pepper. Hope this helps. Thanks so much for commenting!

      Reply

      • Thanks so much for your question, Ryan! Yes, you will want to cover the pot with a lid while simmering. I have updated the recipe to include this 🙂

        Reply

    • I coarsley chopped squash, zucchini and mushrooms and sautéed them with the peppers and onions. It was so good!

      Reply


  5. Used brown rice and chicken suasage to make it a little more healthy and it was absoutely delicious!!

    Reply

  6. Í did this dish for lunch today to surprise my wife. She went “deliciosisimo”!
    It is a really nice plate, ingridients are not complicated. We will be making this again soon. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  8. Wouldn’t the chicken be way overcooked if you leave the chicken in the pot while the rice is simmering for 25 minutes? My chicken is hard like a rock. Am I doing this wrong?

    Reply

    • I’m so sorry your chicken turned out hard! The chicken should absorb a lot of the liquid while cooking so it is not overcooked/hard. A couple of things I would make sure to do if you try it out again: 1) Err on the side of slightly undercooked chicken at the beginning. 2) If you’re using brown rice instead of white, it takes more liquid to cook. 3) Cut your chicken into slightly bigger cubes. 4) Make sure a lot of the chicken is not stuck to the bottom of the pan while simmering but is pretty evenly dispersed throughout the dish. Please let me know if you have any more questions! I will be making a video for this recipe soon so I will be sure to pay attention to the texture of the chicken and make any alterations to the recipe, as needed!

      Reply

      • I made this dish again today and it came out great. Instead of chicken breast, I used chicken thigh and I put the chicken into the pot 10 minutes after I put in the rice to prevent the chicken from being overcooked too much. And I also didn’t cook the vegetables all the way. I like my veggie slightly crunchy and not soggy. Thanks for sharing your recipe. My family loves it. I think your recipe stands out against the competition because the tomato paste adds more flavor to the rice. I can’t tell if the worcestershire sauce makes any difference though. Great dish. Thanks again.

        Reply

        • Awesome!! So happy it turned out well for you this time. Chicken thigh will definitely give the dish a lot more flavor, too. Thanks for sharing your alterations to the recipe!

          Reply

    • Yay!! So happy you loved it. For rice, I normally put it back in a skillet with more liquid (water or broth) and reheat it slowly. Microwaving will also work well with this recipe if you put a little extra liquid and cover it with a paper towel.

      Reply


  11. I made this for the first time ever and picked this recipe because a. It looked the best. B. Great ratings c. Great feedback and responses. I am so glad I did this one for my first jambalaya. It was delicious. I actually used a Creole seasoning I bought for a different recipe and it treated great. Kept everything else the same. I will be making again!

    Reply

  12. Just a quick question. What kind of sausage do you need for this recipe? It didn’t really specify. Is it a ground sausage or more of an andouille sausage?

    Reply

  13. Hi,

    I tried this recipe and everything turned out great except for the fact that all of my rice did not cook. I put the full amount you specified and even added more periodically (because it wasn’t cooking). Do you have any advice on this problem?

    Reply

    • Hi Jymirah! I am so sorry it did not turn out well for you. A couple things you can troubleshoot… What kind of rice did you use? Unfortunately, even different variations of brown rice cook differently and require more liquid than others. What temperature did you have your burner set to? You definitely want to be seeing a little bubbling action (that means it’s simmering!) Lastly, did you take the lid off frequently? Every time the lid is removed liquid evaporates and the temperature inside the pot drops substantially. If you try it again try adding more liquid initially, crank up the burner temp a little bit, and don’t remove the lid until at least 30-35 minutes. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  14. Can’t wait to try this tonight. Do I have to use long grain rice? I have just regular grain white rice… hoping that doesn’t change the amount of water/broth needed. ????

    Reply

    • Hi Nanette! I have not tried freezing this particular recipe (my husband eats SOOO much! lol) but I have frozen rice before and it works great! I just place it in a gallon-sized freezer bag and thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.

      Reply

    • Hi Julie! I have not personally tried this, but if you make your rice in the rice cooker you will only need to cook the sausage and chicken until they are cooked through. Be sure to use the chicken broth that is called for in the recipe to make your rice so you do not have extra liquid. I would love to know how it turns out!

      Reply

    • Hi Celeste! Great question! I generally use green bell peppers in the majority of my Cajun cooking, however, feel free to use whatever you have on hand. Thanks so much for the question!

      Reply

    • Hi Ashlynn! I am not sure of the exact serving size, but it should be about 1-1/2 cups of jambalaya/serving considering the measurements of ingredients used! Thanks so much for the question!

      Reply

    • Hi Christine! Thanks so much for the feedback and for the rating! Depending on what rice was used, a bit more liquid could definitely be needed! I love your addition of the Zatarains liquid. I bet it added a nice bit of flavor 🙂

      Reply


  22. Sooo delicious! Made it for the second time tonight and added shrimp this time. Last time I made it, I froze a few single portions and they defrosted and reheated very well! This recipe is such a keeper!

    Reply

    • That’s such a great idea to add shrimp, Audrey! And I love that you froze them in single portions for later. Thanks so much for the comment and rating!

      Reply

  23. I knew a girl from Orange TX. Cindy Cox was her maiden name. Would you happen to know her? Would love to catch up with her ….

    Reply

    • Wow!! What a small world. I do not recall that name. There were quite a few Cox families that I knew growing up, though! Best of luck trying to reach her!

      Reply


  24. Altered this a smidge-Used riced cauliflower in place of rice, zucchini in place of celery and increased the amount of chicken to 2 lbs-Fabulous! 6 carbs per serving 321 calories-great recipe!

    Reply

    • Oh I LOVE that you used cauliflower rice and added zucchini! It sounds like an incredible low-carb alternative. Thanks so much for the comment/rating!!

      Reply

  25. Thanks for the recipe! I grew up in orange too. I love the stories with the recipe. Lots of love from another SETX girl.

    Reply


  27. Little light on the spice, as I am a big fan of spicy food. Next time I make this, I will substitute andouille sausage for Hot Italian sausage and possible double the amount of cayenne pepper. However, it is a fantastic meal. Absolutely delicious

    Reply

    • Hi Andrew! Thanks so much for the rating and review! Using hot andouille sausage will definitely give it a spicy kick. I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to spice, so I tend to sway more to the less spicy side. 🙂

      Reply


  28. This was first time I made jambalaya and it was a hit. Going to make it for church in two weeks. So excited. Do you have a recipe for fo etoufee not sure if I spelled it correct thanks again God bless

    Reply

    • Yay, Victoria! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the jambalaya 🙂 I don’t have an etouffee recipe up on the site yet, but I do have an incredible Shrimp & Sausage Gumbo that is made from a homemade roux! (It’s actually not too difficult, just a bit time-consuming!) Thanks so much for your rating and review!

      Reply


  31. Maybe I am doing something wrong. But my rice seems to take FOREVER to cook thourghly. Are you adding the rice fully cooked? What am I doing wrong? I have made this meal twice now and both times it took over 45 min. Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Jayne! How long the rice takes to cook depends on a lot of different variables… the temperature you have your stovetop, the type of rice you’re using (brown rice will take A LOT longer!), your altitude, etc. It may take some people 30-35 minutes and other people 40-45 minutes depending on these variables. Hope that helps!

      Reply


  32. This was good but not near as spicy as most Jambalaya. I would add 1/2 tsp each White Pepper, Pepper and Cayenne Pepper or adjust for flavor.

    Reply

  34. Do you use regular or spicy sausage? I’ve always used spicy aundioli sausage in the jambalaya recipe I’ve made, but I wondered how it would work with the additional spices.

    Reply

    • Hi Michael! It is totally up to you. I am a bit of a baby when it comes to spice and use non-spicy sausage, but feel free to use spicy! The jambalaya itself is probably a 3/10 on spice level!

      Reply

  35. Looks good, the name probably should be Creole Jambalaya, since you are using tomato in the dish. Cajun food typically does not use tomatoes.

    Reply

  36. It’s so funny I found your recipe. I’m from Starks…right across the river and border from you! I lived in Houston for over 10 years before moving to Florida. My kids’ daycare wanted the parents to bring cultural dishes this week for Christmas and found your recipe on Pinterest…small world!

    Reply

    • Wow!! That’s so awesome that we grew up down the road from each other. So happy you found the recipe and the site! Hope the kids enjoyed the jambalaya 🙂 Thanks for your comment, Nikki!

      Reply

    • Hi Deborah! I have not personally tried it, but would imagine you will need to adjust the amount of liquid in the recipe. (I.e. – no water, etc.) If you try it out, I would love to know!

      Reply

  38. Hi, London. I want to make this for about 50 people. Have you even tried cooking it in the oven rather than simmering on the stovetop?

    Reply

    • Hi Lonna!! Wow! I have not tried cooking it in the oven, but that is a great idea! You could also make two batches and triple the recipe each time and then reheat it all in the oven. Would love to know what you end up doing and how it works for you!

      Reply

    • Absolutely, Alicia! Rotisserie chicken will sub perfectly in this recipe. (I would suggest getting a traditional/plain rotisserie chicken and not including the skin so the flavors are not altered.) Just add it back into the pot with the sausage in step 5! Can’t wait to hear what you think!

      Reply

  40. Hi! I want to make this tomorrow for a gathering of about 15 people. Thinking I will need to double the recipe. Should I keep the same cooking time or double it? Thank you in advance!

    Reply

    • Hi Carol! Yes, you will definitely want to double the recipe and increase the cooking time slightly, maybe 10 minutes or so. No need to double it, though, just make sure you use a large enough pot! Can’t wait to hear what you think 🙂

      Reply
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