Easy One Pot Jambalaya with Sausage and Chicken – This EASY jambalaya is made in ONE pot with Cajun-seasoned chicken, sausage, rice, peppers, and more! The whole family will LOVE this big batch of comfort food that’s ready in 30 MINUTES! Perfect for busy weeknights or make it as a freezer meal prep recipe. There’s such incredible depth of flavor in such a short amount of time that it’ll be sure to go into your rotation!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: 30-Minute Meals
Cuisine: Chicken
Servings: 10
Calories: 407kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
3 to 4tablespoonsolive oilplus more if/as desired
1large white or yellow oniondiced small
1large green bell pepperseeded and diced small
1large red bell pepperseeded and diced small
3 to 5clovesgarlicfinely minced or pressed
1 to 1.25poundsboneless skinless chicken breastdiced into bite-sized pieces
two 10-ounce cans Rotel*See Notes or similar canned diced tomatoes and green chiles
three 8-ounce packets precooked Ready Rice such as Uncle Ben's or 6 cups previously cooked rice**See Notes
2 to 4tablespoonsCajun seasoningor to taste *** (See Notes)
2teaspoonskosher saltor to taste
1teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
1tablespoonlemon juiceoptional and to taste
Green onionssliced thin; optional for garnishing
Instructions
To a large Dutch oven or similar deep, heavy-bottomed pot, add the olive oil, onion, and sauté over medium-high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring intermittently.
Add the green peppers and and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring intermittently.
Add the red peppers and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring intermittently. If at any time the mixture seems at all dry, add additional olive oil.
Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring constantly.
Note - If you like very well-browned chicken and sausage, sauté them in a separate pan, starting first with the chicken, then add the sausage about 3 minutes later, and sauté until the chicken is cooked through and the proteins are as browned as desired, then transfer them back into the Dutch oven with the onions and peppers. However, because we are not fanatical about it, and I like the ease of one-pot recipes, no transferring food back and forth, I do it all in one pot.
Add the chicken to the onions and peppers, and add more olive oil if desired. Stir and flip intermittently for about 3 to 4 minutes before adding the sausage.
Add the sausage, and stir and flip intermittently for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the sausage is lightly cooked.
Add the rice (if using packets of Ready Rice I like to heat the in the microwave according to the packet directions before adding it to the Dutch oven because it helps soften up the rice nicely and warms it through). If using precooked leftover cold rice, let it sit out at room temp before adding it to the Dutch oven. Stir to combine.
Add the Rotel and stir to combine.
Evenly sprinkle with Cajun seasoning, to taste (start slowly at first if you're sensitive to spices)***, salt, pepper, and stir to combine.
Allow mixture to come up to just barely boiling, or until all ingredients have been warmed through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Taste the jambalaya and if desired, add more Cajun seasoning (likely if you started with just 1-2 tablespoons), additional salt (if it tastes at all flat or boring, most likely it needs salt too not just spice/heat so add it and remember the saltiness of your Rotel as well as your sausage will effect this) as well as additional pepper if desired.
Optional add the lemon juice (brights up the dish) and optionally garnish with green onions to taste. Serve immediately.
Jambalaya will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.**** (See Notes)
Notes
*I used No Salt Added Rotel but you can use your favorite including Original, Mild, Hot, etc. or another similar brand of canned diced tomatoes and green chiles.**I used Uncle Ben's Ready Rice in a combination of Original, Spanish Style, and Red Beans and Rice. Feel free to use all the same types or mix-and-match based on what you have on hand which is what I did. These flavors for me seem to "go" better with the overall flavor profile of Jambalaya and I wouldn't personally for example use jasmine nor likely brown rice, but use what you enjoy.***I used about 4 tablespoons, yes correct tablespoons not teaspoons, of cajun seasoning. I added two while I was cooking the jambalaya and then towards the end, I added two more. Feel free to tone that way back by starting with one tablespoon and working your way up, if desired. By design, jambalaya is not a ‘plain’ type of recipe and should have a little punch to it. Embrace it for what it’s intended to be is my recommendation. Additionally, although four tablespoons of anything sounds like a lot, remember that you're cooking two pounds of protein, six cups of rice, 20 ounces Rotel, and two big bell peppers and a large onion. Trust me, it can handle it based on the quantity of food that you need to season. Nothing would be worse than bland jambalaya! **** This recipe makes about 10 more modest sized servings or 6-8 much bigger portions. It's a great freezer meal prep recipe because it freezes, thaws, and reheats beautifully. You can halve the recipe from the get-go (I wouldn't bother personally - you may as well make the full amount since you're cooking anyway and stash leftovers for a rainy day), or you can eat half and stash half in the freezer, or make it simply to immediately place in the freezer.