This hearty and rich Jambalaya Soup is filled with spicy sausage, chicken, shrimp, the holy trinity (celery, onions and carrots), tomatoes, rice, and bold creole seasoning.
This Jambalaya Recipe is the perfect Southern Recipe, even when it’s not Mardi Gras!
Other Southern Recipe favorites: Pastalaya, Red Beans and Rice and Muffaletta Sandwich. On New Year’s Eve I make this Black Eyed Peas Recipe for good luck!
How To Make Jambalaya Soup
This recipe is shockingly easy, despite how it may look. A little browning here, a little spice there, and next thing you know your soup recipe is good to go!
Brown the sausage and chicken: Heat olive oil and add the Andouille sausage (or Smoked Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage) and chicken and cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes.
Sauté veggies: Add onion, bell pepper, celery and green onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes. If you already have roasted peppers you can throw them in as well.
Add seasonings: Add the garlic, creole seasoning, oregano and thyme and sauté for 30-60 seconds. You can also use cajun seasoning.
Add liquids, rice and bay leaves: Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, rice and bay leaves and simmer for 15 minutes, while stiring.
Add the shrimp: Stir in the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes until the shrimp is done.
Taste and adjust seasonings: Taste and add extra salt or creole/cajun seasonings, if desired.
Recipe Variations
Vegetarian Jambalaya Soup – Omit all the proteins and just increase the veggies and/or rice to bulk it up, if desired. Use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.
Slow Cooker Jambalaya – Add all the ingredients, except the rice, to the slow cooker and cook for 6-7 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. 5 minutes before serving, add cooked rice (Not uncooked) and shrimp.
Seafood Jambalaya – Replace the chicken and sausage with a mixture of your favorite seafood. Think shrimp, oysters or crayfish.
Tips For Making This Jambalaya Soup Recipe
- Make your own Creole seasoning! You can tailor it to taste and watch the sodium levels.
- Don’t skip browning the meats; this step builds deep, rich flavor that makes all the difference.
- Storage – store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Gumbo and jambalaya soup may share similar ingredients, but they’re very different dishes. Gumbo is a thick, stew-like dish built on a dark roux and served over rice cooked separately, often thickened with okra or filé powder. Jambalaya is traditionally a rice dish with no roux, where the rice cooks directly in the pot with the broth and proteins; jambalaya soup is simply a looser, brothy version of those same flavors.
For the most part, yes! Make it as written, however keep the rice out of it until you’re ready to consume it. The rice will turn to must after a few hours.
More Soup Recipes
Here are a few more popular soup recipes to check out:
This Jambalaya Soup recipe was originally posted in February 2021, but has been updated with additional text. The recipe has not changed.
Easy Jambalaya Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 12 oz andouille sausage, cut into ¼" rounds (*Note 1)
- 2 boneless and skinless chicken thighs, cut into ½" cubes
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium bell pepper, diced
- 1 stalk celery, sliced
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-4 tsp creole or cajun seasoning (*Note 2)
- ¼ tsp ground thyme
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 6 cups low sodium chicken stock (*Note 3)
- ⅔ cup uncooked long grain white rice (*Note 4)
- 1 (14.5 oz) can low sodium diced tomatoes, undrained (*Note 5)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 12 oz large raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined (*Note 6)
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and chicken and sauté until lightly browned (approx. 3-4 minutes), stirring occasionally.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and green onions and sauté until the onions are translucent (approx. 4-5 minutes).
- Add the garlic, creole/cajun seasoning, oregano and thyme and sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. OPTIONAL: For a less "greasy" final broth, add 2 Tbsp of flour with the garlic and spices.
- Add the chicken broth, rice, tomatoes and bay leaf, stirring to combine. Bring the soup to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the rice is tender, approx. 15 minutes. Continue to stir, occasionally, so the rice doesn't burn.
- Add the shrimp and cook for 5 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through out (the shrimp will be pink and shaped like the letter "C" when cooked).
- Taste and add extra salt or creole seasoning, to your preferred level. Remove the bay leaves.
- Transfer to individual bowls and serve.