Jambalaya isn’t something that really hit my radar until later in life. Wow, was I missing out! Although the regular version doesn’t fit into keto life, this Low Carb Jambalaya certainly stacks up on the flavor scale. It’s got andouille, chicken, and shrimp combined with a blend of Creole seasoning, onions, bell peppers, and celery. A perfect meal for a dinner party, a weekly meal plan, or any time you need warmed up from the inside out, this recipe is a must-try!
What You Need to Make Low Carb Jambalaya
Ingredients
- Andouille – You can choose either chicken or pork andouille sausage. I like both.
- Chicken Thighs – Trimmed and cut into bite size pieces. As a shortcut, you can buy cooked chicken either shreds or cubes. However, if you’re buying it raw and cooking it, I recommend thighs over breasts for the texture.
- Shrimp – I usually use large raw ones that are peeled and deveined with shells removed. However, if you want to save time, you could also grab a bag of cooked shrimp that are peeled and deveined with shells removed and skip the shrimp cooking step. I’ve done this too with great results.
- Onions
- Bell Peppers – I’m not choosy about which color of bell pepper.
- Celery
- Diced Tomatoes
- Cauliflower Rice
- Garlic – I buy the pre-minced version in bulk.
- Creole Seasoning – I use Tony Chachere’s. You can get the version with salt or without salt. If you get the version without salt, you can add your own amount to suit your taste.
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Chicken Broth or Stock – If you have the time and / or inclination, I recommend using my Homemade Chicken+ Broth
- Hot Sauce – I use Frank’s Red Hot
- Kosher Salt
- Ground Black Pepper
Equipment
- Cutting Board – For dicing the veggies.
- Chef’s Knife – For dicing the veggies
- Rimmed Baking Sheet – Optional. This is for lining with foil and paper towels and then patting the meat dry.
- Paper Towels
- Large Sauté Pan or Skillet
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Dutch Oven – Or Large Pot
Getting Started with Making Low Carb Jambalaya
Shortcut Options
Pre-Cooked Ingredients
Okay before we get too far into this, I’ll tell you that I’m sharing two ways to approach this dish. The slightly longer but more cost effective version is to cook the chicken and shrimp yourself. The faster version uses pre-cooked chicken and shrimp, but you’ll pay a slight premium for those ingredients. Both ways are delicious. I don’t really recommend one over the other. It’s up to you.
Chopping Faster Suggestion
I’m also going to tell you that this recipe has a lot of chopping. One shortcut you could take on the vegetable side is to use a food processor with a dicing blade. The result will probably be a bit finer than you’re used to, but you’re eventually getting to an almost stew-like consistency anyway, so I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Of course the flip side of using the food processor is having to clean it versus a cutting board and knife. Again, it’s up to you.
Prepping the Vegetables and Andouille for Low Carb Jambalaya
We’ll start the veggie prep by dicing about 2.25 cups // 270 grams // 9.5 ounces each of Onions, Celery, and Bell Peppers. I find this to be about 1 large onion, 4 or 5 stalks of celery, and 2 bell peppers (any color). Just remember if you’re weighing those ingredients at the grocery store to account for peeling and trimming and go a little higher on the weight. Once they’re diced, you can set them aside.
If you are doing advanced prep work, you can stash them in a zip top bag and toss them in the fridge.
At this point, you can also slice the Andouille Sausage and set it aside. It’s already cooked, so you won’t need it again until you’re putting together the Low Carb Jambalaya.
Preparing and Cooking the Chicken
If you are cooking the chicken yourself, you’ll want to grab 2 pounds of Chicken Thighs and trim off any excessive fat. Then you can cut the thighs into bite sized pieces and place them in a large zip top bag. I like to use a 2 gallon bag if I have one for easier tossing.
Once done, you’ll sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Creole Seasoning into the zip top bag with the chicken, seal it, and shake to thoroughly coat the pieces.
I like to prep my area for batches before I start cooking. To do this, I line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and set it on a hot pad on the counter next to the stove. In a large sauté pan or skillet, you’ll heat about 1.5 tablespoons of Avocado Oil over medium high heat. Unless you have some industrial size skillet and stove top, you’ll need to cook the chicken in batches. Once each piece is cooked, you’ll move it from the pan onto the sheet pan. It usually takes about 3 minutes on each side.
Set the chicken aside while you move on to the shrimp. Again, you could complete this step in advance and then cool and store the chicken in the fridge if needed.
If you’re using the pre-cooked chicken shortcut, then you can skip the whole cooking part. All you need to do is thaw the chicken, cut it into bite sized pieces if it isn’t already like that, and toss it with the Creole Seasoning.
Preparing and Cooking the Shrimp
If cooking the shrimp yourself, you’ll want to start with 1 pound of large shrimp that are deveined and already have the tails removed. If you can’t find those, you need to remove the tails and devein them. Getting them dried off is key to your cooking process, so I suggest you line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil and paper towels. I lay out the shrimp on the paper towels and then blot them dry with more paper towels.
Depending on the size of the shrimp, you’ll want to cut them into bite-size pieces. However, since they shrink as they cook, you won’t have to go very small. Then to get them seasoned, you’ll toss the shrimp pieces in a zip top bag and add 1 tablespoon of Creole Seasoning, seal it, and toss to coat. (Gee, doesn’t this sound familiar?)
To cook the shrimp, you’ll heat about another 1 tablespoon of Avocado Oil in the same pan. You just need to sauté the shrimp until they start to turn pink (about 3 minutes). Then remove them from the heat. They won’t be completely cooked yet. We’ll finish them in the Jambalaya itself. Set them aside.
If you’re using pre-cooked shrimp, you can skip the cooking part. Instead, you’ll just cut them into bite-size pieces, toss them with the Creole Seasoning, and then set them aside.
Cooking the Low Carb Jambalaya
Now that we have all of the chopping and slicing complete, the last thing I suggest you do before you start cooking is measuring out the remaining ingredients you will need and placing them near your cooking station. You’ll need some more Avocado Oil, the remaining 2 tablespoons of Creole Seasoning, 2 tablespoons of Minced Garlic, 36 ounces of Cauliflower Rice, 30 ounces of Diced Tomatoes (undrained), 4 teaspoons of Worcestershire Sauce, 3 cups of Chicken Broth or Stock, and everything you just prepped. You can also have some Salt, Pepper, and Hot Sauce handy to adjust the taste if you like. However, I honestly never wind up needing them.
First we’ll heat about 1.5 – 2 tablespoons of Avocado Oil in a Dutch Oven or large pot over medium high heat. We’ll sauté the onions, celery, and bell peppers until they start to soften (about 10 minutes). Then we can add in the minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of the Creole Seasoning and cook it for another 30 – 60 seconds. After that we’ll add in the Andouille Sausage and cook everything for another 2 – 3 minutes just to allow a little bit of the fat to render.
Next we can add in the Cauliflower Rice, Worcestershire Sauce, Diced Tomatoes, remaining 1 tablespoon of Creole Seasoning and 3 cups of Chicken Broth. Now we’ll bring everything to a boil.
Now we’ll drop the heat to a simmer and add in the cooked chicken. You’ll cover it and allow it to cook for 10 minutes. If you cooked the shrimp yourself, so they are now partially cooked, add them into the pot at this point. Then we’ll put the lid back on and cook the Low Carb Jambalaya for another 10 minutes. If you are using pre-cooked shrimp, you will just add them in at the end and stir them for even distribution.
Finishing It Off
You can add hot sauce, salt, or pepper to taste at this point. However, as mentioned above, I don’t think they’re needed.
You’ll want to serve this warm and perhaps add some Keto Cornbread to the menu as a side.
Related Recipes
If you need some suggestions of what to serve with this Low Carb Jambalaya, check out my Mardi Gras Dinner Party for an example menu.
You might want to serve it with some Keto Cornbread or some Keto Biscuits.
Looking for some other soups or stews to keep you warm? You should try one (or more) of these:
- Ham and Cauliflower Soup
- Kitchen Sink Beef and Vegetable Stew
- Leek and Cauliflower Soup
- Roasted Tomato Poblano Soup
- Savory Chicken and Cauliflower Soup
- Savory Pumpkin Soup
Low Carb Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 2.25 cups Onions Chopped. 270 grams // 9.5 ounces // ~1 – 1.5 large onion. I use Spanish Onions.
- 2.25 cups Bell Peppers Chopped. 270 grams // 9.5 ounces // ~2 bell peppers. Any color you want.
- 2.25 cups Celery Chopped. 270 grams // 9.5 ounces // ~4 stalks.
- 2 pounds Andouille Sausage Sliced
- 2 pounds Chicken Thighs Trimmed and cut into bite size pieces.
- 4 tablespoons Creole Seasoning Divided: 1.5 tablespoons with the Chicken // 1 tablespoon with the Shrimp // 1.5 tablespoons with the vegetables. I use Tony Chachere’s.
- 4 tablespoons Avocado Oil
- 1 pound Shrimp I either use large raw ones that are peeled and deveined with shells removed and tails off OR (to save time a bag of cooked shrimp that are peeled and deveined with shells removed and tails off.)
- 2 tablespoons Garlic minced (About 12 cloves.)
- 36 ounces Cauliflower Rice 3 (12-ounce bags. If your store only has 10 or 10.5 ounce bags, that’s fine.)
- 30 ounces Diced Tomatoes 2 (15-ounce cans. Undrained.)
- 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups Chicken Broth Try my Homemade Chicken+ Broth if you have time.
- Hot Sauce Optional to taste
- Kosher Salt Optional to taste
- Ground Black Pepper Optional to taste
Instructions
- Chop all of your veggies–2.25 cups Onions, 2.25 cups Bell Peppers, 2.25 cups Celery, and 2 tablespoons Garlic (if you’re not using pre-minced). Set aside until you’re ready to cook.2.25 cups Onions, 2.25 cups Bell Peppers, 2.25 cups Celery
- Slice the 2 pounds Andouille Sausage about ½ inch thick. Set aside until you’re ready to cook.
- Trim 2 pounds Chicken Thighs and cut into bite-size pieces. If you are using precooked chicken, cut it into bite-size pieces if needed and proceed as follows. Place the chicken in a zip top bag, add 1.5 tablespoons of Creole seasoning, and toss to coat. Place in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.2 pounds Chicken Thighs, 4 tablespoons Creole Seasoning
- Thaw and cut 1 pound Shrimp into bite size pieces. If you are using precooked shrimp, cut them into bite-size pieces and proceed as follows. Place in a zip top bag, add 1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning, and toss to coat. Place in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.1 pound Shrimp, 4 tablespoons Creole Seasoning
- Heat ~1.5 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat and saute your chicken pieces, working in batches to avoid crowding the pan. About 3 minutes on each side. (Skip if using pre-cooked chicken.)4 tablespoons Avocado Oil, 2 pounds Chicken Thighs
- Note: I cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set it on a trivet next to the stove, so that I can easily transfer completed meat out of the pan to make way for more.
- Drain any excess liquid from the pan. Add another ~1 tablespoon of oil. Over medium heat, saute the shrimp for about 3 minutes until they are just starting to turn pink. Remove them from the pan and set them aside. They will not be completely cooked at this point. (Skip if using pre-cooked shrimp.)4 tablespoons Avocado Oil, 1 pound Shrimp
- In the same pan, saute the onions, peppers, and celery until very soft. About 10 minutes. Add in the garlic and 1.5 tablespoons of the Creole Seasoning.2 tablespoons Garlic, 4 tablespoons Creole Seasoning
- Add the Andouille Sausage and cook for an additional 2 – 3 minutes.2 pounds Andouille Sausage
- Add the 36 ounces Cauliflower Rice, 30 ounces Diced Tomatoes, 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, and 3 cups Chicken Broth. Stir to combine.36 ounces Cauliflower Rice, 30 ounces Diced Tomatoes, 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 3 cups Chicken Broth
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, add the cooked chicken back in, cover and cook for 10 minutes. If you cooked the shrimp (so they are partially cooked), add them in after 10 minutes. Cover and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes. If you are using pre-cooked shrimp, just add them in at the end and stir for even distribution.
- Add Hot Sauce, Kosher Salt, and / or Ground Black Pepper to taste.Hot Sauce, Kosher Salt, Ground Black Pepper
- Serve warm.
Equipment
- Cutting Board For dicing the veggies.
- Chef's Knife For dicing the veggies.
- Rimmed Baking Sheet Optional. This is for lining with foil and paper towels and then patting the meat dry.
- Paper Towels
- Large Sauté Pan or Skillet Or Skillet
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
- Dutch Oven Or Large Pot
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