School me on Jambalaya

The best tip I can give is to keep it simple and cook it right. Cooking it step by step is the best thing to do, don’t try to get fancy.

Brown sausage, remove
Brown meat, remove
Brown vegetables and keep browning
Add meat and sausage back
Add water
Bring to a boil
cook your rice using your favorite method


I don’t think it freezes well whatsoever, but others may have a different opinion.

On second thought, another tip I can give (since you are looking for something at home for kids) is to try Oak Grove jambalaya mix for a stovetop version. Brown sausage, remove, brown meat, add sausage and water, then follow directions.

It's a super easy meal to make. I use the "Gonzalez" style recipe that's posted in one of the stickied threads and it turns out great

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Paging pochejp and Stadium Rat

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Mahatma extra long grain rice.

I’ve never frozen jambalaya so I can’t comment there but I wouldn’t think it would work too well. Just an opinion.

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Now I need to pick out my sausage...

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I like Double D if I can't get a "smokehouse" sausage.

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Stadium Rat

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I have no idea why people are down voting you, you are the entire reason the Jambalaya calculator exists. Thank you for all the work you put into it, it is legendary.

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I’ve never frozen jambalaya so I can’t comment there but I wouldn’t think it would work too well. Just an opinion.

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Freezes great. I portion it out in quart bags usually. Enough for a couple bowls each time for me. Thaw it out then warm in a pot on the stove with a little extra water and it tastes great.

Jambalaya is like gumbo - you will get a million different opinions. Here's basically how I do it.

1. Brown sausage.

2. Season your chicken first. I use Tony's, Slap Ya Mama, whatever plus more black pepper and garlic powder. Then brown after the sausage. May need a little oil.

3. Remove meat and turn up the heat. Then throw in your trinity, etc. and maybe a little water to get that fond. Get all the good stuff up!

4. Turn the heat back down, and while veggies cook, de-bone your chicken if using bone-in.

5. When veggies are soft/clear, add chicken stock. (Use chicken stock instead of water or at least a little Better than Bullion in your water. It makes so much difference IMO!)

6. Start to bring the liquid to a boil, and then season it to your liking. The liquid should be pretty hot, spice-wise, if you like a more flavorful jambalaya.

7. Add chicken, sausage, and rice in.

8. Stir it all up and put the lid on tight until the rice is done.

*This is obvious, but your liquid/rice ratio needs to be right.* Good luck!

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I would not use converted or parboiled rice (Uncle Ben's/Zatarain's). Parboiled rice lacks the flavor and texture that properly "bloomed" rice brings, but it's easy to use for those that cannot cook regular rice.

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Thanks for sharing this explanation. I’ve always wondered why Zatarain rice gets downvoted on here. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as parboiled rice until I started visiting this board to learn more about cooking. I always thought you had small, medium, and long grain rice and each was probably used for different reasons.

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I have no idea why people are down voting you, you are the entire reason the Jambalaya calculator exists. Thank you for all the work you put into it, it is legendary.

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Part of the territory around here.

The best part about this board is that most people are exceedingly friendly and helpful. There's a few ruffians, but that's the internet.

The calculator is a gem of the board and will help countless people make a good jamb that never would have, especially non Louisianians (me included, from Ohio).