Cajun Sausage And Chicken Jambalaya Recipe – MK Library (2024)

Published: February 4, 2021 | Updated: April 19, 2022 by Michael Kahn

This Cajun sausage and chicken jambalaya recipe draws on both Cajun and Creole cuisines, with an array of traditional aromatic spices and juicy Cajun sausage in a tomato sauce.

Cajun cuisine has become somewhat of a blanket term for a hybrid of Cajun and Creole dishes throughout the U.S. In Louisiana, however, where both of these cultures were born and continue to thrive, there is a clear distinction between these respective cuisines and their histories.

This recipe draws from both cultures, with an emphasis on the aromatic herbs and spices used in traditional Cajun and Creole cooking. Similar to a Creole Jambalaya, this recipe features sausage, bell pepper, and a flavorful mix of southern spices.

Traditional Cajun Cooking

Traditional Cajun cooking, a mix ofWest African,French,andSpanishcooking techniques, was often very simple and didn’t include the spiciness of Creole meals. They were largely rustic ‘country’ meals that relied heavily on what was locally available. This often meant the addition of three vegetables that make up ‘the trinity’ according to Cajun and Creole chefs; green bell pepper, onion, and celery. Other herbs and spices you might find in a Cajun meal include garlic, paprika, thyme, file (ground sassafras leaves), parsley, and green onions.

This ever-evolving cuisine was created by a group of French settlers who were displaced from Canada and had to be resourceful with what they could find in their new southern climate. An authentic Cajun meal usually features a main dish of crawfish,shrimp, orandouillesausage, steamed rice, and a bowl of whatever vegetable is plentiful or available. These dishes would have all been served in separate bowls.

What we usually think of as Cajun food today is some version of spicy and aromatic rice, veggies, meat, and seafood mixture. Most of these hybrid Cajun/Creole dishes can be attributed to the influential chef, Paul Prudhomme, whocoined the term “Louisiana cooking”. He is the reason your typical Cajun seasoning now includesthe heat of driedcayenne pepper.

The only true main difference between the two cuisines is (in most cases) the use of tomatoes. Cajun cooking usually does not include tomatoes, while Creole food does. As with most cuisines, however, the lines blur over time.

So, even though it may draw inspiration from multiple cultures, to say it’s 100 percent Louisianan would be right on the money.

This recipe was originally developed as part of an Instagram campaign for Zatarain’s Sausage.

To totally replicate this recipe, you can shop for Zatarain’s here or at your nearest Kroger grocery store.

Visual Instructions

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