This Chicken and Sausage Penne Jambalaya is my delicious personal take on a classic recipe, loaded with chicken and Italian sausage that will be ready in only 30 minutes!
Chicken And Sausage Penne Jambalaya
One of my favorite dishes to order whenever I go out to a restaurant is jambalaya. I used to only ever order it out because I thought it would be complicated to make, but I couldn’t have been more wrong! This recipe is so simple and tasty to whip up and the best part is it’ll be on your table in only 30 minutes.
This is a recipe recipe from my book, a favorite of mine, a penne jambalaya with chicken and sausage. This is a perfect dish to make at home after a busy day at work, because it’s a no fuss recipe, all done in one skillet.
What Is Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a Louisiana origin dish with lots of Spanish and French influence. It consists mainly of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Traditionally, this dish always includes sausage of some sort such as andouille, along with other meat or seafood.
One bite of this super easy jambalaya and you’ll forget about ever ordering it out again. If you want to kick this recipe up a notch, use spicy Italian sausages, after all, jambalaya is meant to be spicy. Some good Italian sausages will really take this jambalaya over the top.
Ingredients In Chicken And Sausage Penne Jambalaya
We’ve got a bit of a long ingredient list here, but it is all crucial for developing that deep interesting flavor that we expect in a jambalaya. Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Chicken – I used breast for this recipe but thighs would work just as well.
- Seasoning – Salt, pepper and chili powder are all we’re going to need.
- Sausage – I’ve made this dish with Italian sausage, andouille sausage or any smoked sausages but feel free to try others such as chorizo, andouille, or even kielbasa.
- Aromatics – Fresh onion and garlic are our aromatics for this dish. If minced is all you have on hand just keep in mind that 1 teaspoons is equivalent to one fresh clove.
- Veggies – Bell pepper, any color you please, and canned diced tomatoes.
- Broth – Low sodium chicken broth is best as we want to control our sodium content.
- Pasta – I used penne as we want something that really hold onto our sauce but any larger shaped pasta will do. If you’re not feeling pasta this dish is beautiful served over rice.
- Hot sauce – Feel free to use your favorite! If you’re scared of the heat opt out of using any.
- Garnish – Fresh sliced green onion and cilantro to sprinkle liberally on top!
How To Make Chicken And Sausage Penne Jambalaya
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Prepare the chicken: Sprinkle the seasonings over your chicken and rub it in. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken and sausage to the skillet and cook for 6 minutes just until the chicken and sausage start to brown.
- Saute the sauteables: Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes until the onion is translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Finish the dish: Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, penne and hot sauce to the skillet; stir well. Cook for up to 15 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Garnish with green onion and cilantro and serve hot!
What Else Can I Use In This Jambalaya?
Meats
Chicken and sausage are a staple in traditional recipes, but so is shrimp! Feel free to add as much shrimp as you like to this dish, tails on, to really punch up this dish.
Veggies
The traditional recipe just calls for onion, celery, bell pepper, and in some cases tomato. But seeing as this is a one pot dish feel free to add any veggies you’d like! Carrots, diced potatoes, and zucchini are all delectable additions.
Tips For Making The Best Jambalaya
- This dish is amazing served over rice if you don’t have pasta on hand!
- Now there are 2 types of Jambalaya and those types are creole or cajun. My version today is Creole as it uses tomatoes, but you can axe this ingredient for a Cajun dish.
- If you’d like to make your own creole spice blend just mix: garlic & onion powder, paprika, cayenne, dried oregano, thyme, and basil. It’ll send this recipe to the moon!
Different Sausages To Use For Jambalaya
- Jambalaya is great with a Mexican chorizo sausage.
- Andouille sausage which is a smoked sausage made from pork.
- You can also use Kielbasa which is a Polish sausage. It’s flavoured with caraway seeds and made with pork. It’s delicious!
Storing Leftover Jambalaya
This recipe will last well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 – 4 days. If you’d like to freeze this recipe you may want to only make the sauce and store for up to 3 months, thaw in the fridge over night and make the pasta fresh as needed.
30-Minute One-Pot Meals
For more quick and easy delicious recipes, you can order my “30-Minute One-Pot Meals” book at:
Craving More Penne? Try These Delicious Recipes:
- Roasted Red Pepper And Pecan Pesto Penne
- Leftover Ham And Cheese Penne
- Baked Penne With Italian Sausage
- Crack Chicken Penne
- Tomato Basil And Spinach Penne
- Penne With Prosciutto Tomatoes and Zucchini
- Chicken Pesto Caprese Pasta
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- One Pot Creamy Parmesan Pasta
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Chicken and Sausage Penne Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 6 oz chicken breast (1 breast) skinless boneless, cut small pieces
- 1/2 tsp chili powder mild
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 links Italian sausage cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 28 oz diced tomatoes (1 can) juice included
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 8 oz penne uncooked
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 2 green onions chopped
- 4 sprigs cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Season the chicken with chili powder, salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken and sausage to the skillet and cook for 6 minutes just until the chicken and sausage start to brown.
- Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes until the onion is translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, penne and hot sauce to the skillet; stir well.
- Cook for 15 minutes until the penne is al dente.
- Garnish with green onions and cilantro
Recipe Notes
- Feel free to substitute the Italian sausage with kielbasa, chorizo or smoked sausage.
- If you don’t like cilantro then you can substitute with parsley for garnish.
- This recipe will last well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 – 4 days. If you’d like to freeze this recipe you may want to only make the sauce and store for up to 3 months, thaw in the fridge over night and make the pasta fresh as needed.
- Please note that nutritional information can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Tried this w/ variations. I used what I had available. Used Chicken thighs, saziza , cochietta pasta.
That sounds wonderful! It’s always fun to experiment.
Thank you for the recipe! We wanted to replace the penne with rice. Is it the same cooking time? And the same amount of rice as you would measure out for the penne?
It will depend on the type of rice etc. If you use the same amount of rice as pasta, you might have a bit more rice. Use your best judgement!
I tried this recipe with a few tweaks based on what was in my cabinet. I must say it was delicious! My sigO is not a ‘leftovers person,’ but he ain’t all of this With no fuss. I can’t wait to make it again.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Just to clarify, is it 1 can of 14oz diced tomatoes or 1 14oz cans? I haven’t seen a can that has 28oz before.
I used a 28 oz can, if you can only find 14 oz cans you can use two of them.
Very nice recipe! Directions were perfect, and for a quarantine Cinco de Mayo, was just the right dinner. Make sure you use a very large skillet!
So easy to make and my family loved it. Added a little more chicken broth so I could add a little more pasta. Fantastic
Question for you: Can I use frozen onion and peppers as I don’t have fresh on hand and want to make tonight?
Of course!
Will be making this tomorrow. Can’t wait. I love that you put pictures of ingredients! I am a visual person, so I looked at the ingredients and could look and say “check”, got it. Had them all. So excited to make. This is the first comment I’ve ever made.
Let me know how it turns out!
Wow wow wow! This was absolutely delicious & so simple to make… leftovers are incredible too.
Made this last night and it’s so good and easy!
After working on your site, I have so many recipes bookmarked LOL. Garlic & lemon drumsticks up next!
That’s so awesome to hear! Let us know how your cooking adventures go 🙂
I made it just like you have it in the recipe, had to add more of each ingredients since I have large household with growing teenage boys and there was none left!!!
That’s what I love to hear!!
This looks wonderful. So you don’t cook the pasta separately by boiling first, then adding it into the dish? It sounds like you just throw the hard pasta right into the pan?
That’s correct, just throw it uncooked, it will cook in the sauce.
Looks great. What heat should this be cooked at?
Medium should be good enough.
Just made this tonight…seriously amazing!! Didn’t have canned tomatoes so I used regular tomato sauce. My husband doesn’t like cilantro so I skipped that, but did everything else according to the recipe. It was definitely a hit and being added to my dinner rotation! Wish I could add a photo…
I made it for the first time, last winter. My husband raved about it for months! The second time around I used breakfast sausage links (for their flavour) and when all the ingredients were in the pan I let it reduce, then added another cup of broth, allowing it to reduce a second time. The flavours were incredible and better than the first time, if that is even possible. Love your recipes Joanna, I hope you never stop blogging!
Thanks, Rosie! I love your comment and I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes!