Dutch Oven Jambalaya

For a born and raised Canadian with no real link to the American south, jambalaya - and Louisiana cooking in general - are near and dear to my heart.

I was introduced to this classic Louisiana dish during a 2005 trip to the city of New Orleans. It was my first “nerd camp”, and I had a fabulous time. Made a bunch of friends, had a lot of fun, and ate a ton of amazing food.

When our house was Hit by the 2011 North Minneapolis Tornado a few years later, I was able to use some money that friends donated, to feed a few hundred people in the parking lot of a funeral home.

It was incredibly therapeutic for me... and apparently for a bunch of southern transplants in our area. I was touched to hear their stories over our giant communal jambalaya pot!

Oh, and Porter proposed to me after I made him a Muffaletta Sandwich... so we get the warm fuzzies everytime Mardi Gras comes around, despite neither of us ever having gone to one!

Anyway, there are a many different types of jambalaya, but there are 2 main categories of jambalaya: Cajun jambalaya and creole-style jambalaya.

Creole jambalaya is also called red jambalaya - the main difference between the two is the addition of tomatoes in the creole version.

Over the years, I’ve published several of my jambalaya recipes - and jambalaya-inspired recipes. Two of them are Creole style - Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Jambalaya and Keto Jambalaya - while my Jambalaya Skewers would probably be considered more Cajun.

Dutch Oven Jambalaya

Today’s recipe is a simplified version of that original chicken, sausage and shrimp jambalaya, developed to specifically be a great campfire meal.

First of all, I ditched the shrimp. It’s fantastic, but really... it was an extra thing to deal with. Chicken and sausage jambalaya is also fantastic, so here we are.

I also cut the recipe volume significantly, to make it much more manageable as a dutch oven jambalaya recipe. We’re not aiming to feed dozens - or hundreds - of people in the campground, after all!

Finally, I redesign the recipe to involve a make-ahead component, prepping most of the ingredients at home.

Chopping and freezing veggies, mixing the spice packet ahead of time makes for an incredibly easy campfire meal when you get where you’re going!

It’s also a hearty and satisfying meal that’s FULL of flavour. All around, just a really great recipe to bring camping.

Anyway, let’s look at what you’ll need, and how to make it!

Ingredients

This chicken & sausage jambalaya recipe has a bit of a laundry list of ingredients, but they’re all pretty basic.

Don’t worry about having to bring everything on your camping trip - I’ll show you how to do some prep work ahead of time, in the next section. For now, we’ll take a look at the ingredients you’ll need for this classic dish.

Smoky Sausage

Andouille sausage is the kind of sausage that’s traditionally used to make a great jambalaya. It’s a smoked sausage that’s common in creole food... but sometimes a bit more difficult to find in our area.

Also, it’s a pork sausage... and my husband can’t digest red meat anymore. So, pork sausages are off the menu, here.

That’s fine, though - you can sub in almost any smoky sausage you like. We tend to use a turkey kielbasa -plenty of smoky flavor, none of the, uh... issues for my husband.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

The second kind of meat I use in this recipe is chicken.

While you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs... I just really hate working with them. Love the finished product, but hate the trimming process.

So, I use breasts. Feel free to use either, or a combo of the two if you prefer.

Holy Trinity

In both Cajun cooking and Creole cooking, the “holy trinity”is the mix of base ingredients for many Cajun and Creole recipes: green bell pepper, celery, and onion.

It reflects the french influence on the cuisine of the area - it’s basically mirepox, with the carrot swapped out in favour of green peppers.

I go a little beyond that base holy trinity with my recipe, adding red bell pepper and some jalapeno pepper to that green pepper/celery/onion mix.

I like the additional colour and flavour these additions bring to this easy sausage jambalaya recipe.

Long Grain White Rice

I prefer to use a long-grain rice when making a pot of jambalaya, as short-grain rice tends to break down more - and I’m not a fan of mushy rice in my jambalaya!

Using parboiled rice is another way to avoid mushy rice, though that usually comes in a medium grain.

Either way, you’ll be starting out with 1 lb of uncooked rice.

Finally, I’ve only ever made jambalaya with white rice (well, and cauliflower rice, when doing my low carb version!... but I suppose in theory you could make it with brown rice, if you prefer. I’ll try it sometime and update when I do!

Diced Tomatoes

I generally use canned diced tomatoes, but you can use crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce if you prefer.

My original creole jambalaya recipe also included some tomato paste - to boost the tomato flavor a bit.

This easy jambalaya recipe is a simplified version of that traditional jambalaya recipe, though... and tomato paste is something I can’t be arsed to deal with on a camping trip.

Creole Seasoning Mix

Rather than use any overly-salty premade seasoning blend, I make my own. It’s a LOT of different things to store in a camper, which is why I mix it up ahead of time, at home. More on that in a little bit!

Anyway, you’ll need Bay Leaves, Cayenne Pepper, Dried Oregano, Dried Sage, Dried Thyme, Garlic Powder, Ground Black Pepper, and salt.

If you want additional heat, you can always add some red pepper flakes or chili powder - it really doesn’t need it, though!

Everything Else

Rounding out this recipe, you will need:

Vegetable Oil (or Olive Oil)
Chicken Stock (Or Chicken Broth)

Nothing really to add, there. Pretty simple!

How to Make Dutch Oven Jambalaya Over a Campfire

The full recipe is in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. This is a visual walk through, including additional information on how I do ingredient prep ahead of time.

Pre-Trip Ingredient Preparation

Label 3 medium sized freezer baggies - I’ll usually just say “Jambalaya”.

Chop the onion, celery, and peppers, place in the freezer baggie. Push out as much excess air as possible, and seal.

Not shown: Chop the chicken into ¾-1 inch pieces, place in another labeled freezer baggie, set aside.

Measure the Cayenne, Garlic Powder, Ground Black Pepper, Dried Oregano, Dried Sage, Dried Thyme, Salt and Bay Leaf into a small baggie - we’ll usually use the snack size plastic Ziploc baggies.

Push the excess air out of the baggie and seal.

Finally, weigh the rice into the third labeled freezer baggie. Add the baggie of spice mix, push out excess air, and seal.

Keep the vegetables, chicken, and sausage - if applicable - in the freezer until you’re almost ready to make your jambalaya, thaw the meat(s) just before use.

Note: You can also pre-slice the sausage and put it into a fourth baggie, but I’ll usually just cut it up on the spot when making the jambalaya on our campsite. The uncut turkey kiebasa we usually end up using takes up less fridge space than a baggie of cut up sausage.

To Make the Jambalaya

Get a medium-hot fire going. You don’t want it roaring, but you do want it to sustain a low boil for over 40 minutes.

Note: If you’re cooking at home, set your burner to medium-high heat.

In a large Dutch oven - or other large, heavy pot - brown the sausage in a little oil.

Add the diced chicken and a little more oil, sauté chicken and sausage until the chicken pieces are browned on all sides.

Add the peppers, onion, and celery, cook until vegetables are softened.

Note: If they aren’t thawed, they’ll thaw as you cook them - I tend to get lazy and just toss the baggie of veggies in, still frozen.

As the veggies cook - and release liquid - use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot.

Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes, and all of the herbs and spices. Turn heat down to low (if applicable), and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the rice to pot. Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes or so, giving it a good stir every once in a while - you don’t want it to burn onto the bottom of the pot!

Note: The more you stir it, the more broken down the rice will get. If you stir it a LOT, it can start looking like jambalaya risotto - so for best results, go easy on it!

That said, if your fire is really hot - as ours was - you’re going to want to stir it often. I personally prefer over stirred jambalaya, to burnt jambalaya!

Remove lid, allow to cook uncovered for another 5- 10 minutes or so, depending on your rice. Cook until rice is done.

Taste, season with a little bit of additional salt, if desired.

Remove and discard the bay leaf, serve hot.

Leftover Jambalaya

Once cooled to almost room temperature, any leftover jambalaya can be stored in any airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Best served reheated.

More One-Pot Camping Recipes

Looking for more easy - but satisfying! - one pot meals to cook over your campfire? Here are some of my favourites!

Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Beef & Root Vegetable Stew
Cajun Chicken Sloppy Joes
Campfire Chili
Easy Chicken Curry
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Hearty Campfire Beef Stew
Sloppy Giuseppes
Traditional Sloppy Joes

... But wait, there's more! See our main Camping Recipes page for ALL of our camping recipes - snacks, desserts, mixes to make ahead of time, and more!