Nothing says comfort food like a steaming bowl of jambalaya. This hearty southern classic combines chicken, shrimp, and smoky andouille sausage with okra, tomatoes, peppers, and authentic Cajun seasonings. By pressure canning jambalaya, you’ll stock your pantry with a ready-to-eat meal in a jar that tastes like it just came off the stove. Serve it over a bed of rice for a traditional Creole dinner or enjoy it straight from the jar when you need a quick dinner solution.

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By Diane Devereaux | The Canning Diva® 
Last updated: September 1, 2025

Key Takeaways

• Pressure canning jambalaya lets you enjoy authentic Cajun flavors without last-minute prep.
• This recipe makes a complete meal in a jar—simply heat, serve, and enjoy.
• Extra stock from the recipe can be canned alongside your jars for future cooking.

A Little History Behind This Creole Delight

Jambalaya is one of Louisiana’s most celebrated comfort foods, with roots reaching back to the French Quarter of New Orleans. In fact, influenced by Spanish paella, French spices, and West African cooking traditions, jambalaya became the ultimate one-pot meal for feeding crowds. As a result, families and neighbors often gathered for big celebrations where a cast-iron pot of jambalaya bubbled over an open flame, filling the air with smoky sausage, tender chicken, and the aroma of bold Cajun seasoning.

Over the years, this Creole jambalaya canning recipe became more than just food—it became a symbol of community and southern hospitality. Today, by pressure canning jambalaya at home, you’re carrying on that tradition while making it shelf-stable for months to come. Rather than of waiting for a special occasion or cooking jambalaya from scratch every time, you can enjoy this Creole jambalaya canning recipe straight from your pantry. It’s a fun way to honor history, preserve authentic Cajun flavors, and enjoy a ready-to-serve meal in a jar anytime you want a taste of the South.

Finally, if you enjoy this delicious meal in a jar recipe, you’ll find plenty more Cajun favorites, hearty soups, and complete dinners in my cookbooks Canning Full Circle 2 and Meals in a Jar. Both books are filled with recipes designed to make home canning a practical, everyday solution for stocking your pantry with wholesome, ready-to-serve meals. In short, consider this jambalaya just the start of what you can create and preserve for your family.

Jambalaya Pressure Canning Recipe

Makes approx. 9 quarts or 18 pints

This recipe is a classic creole southern dish with shrimp, chicken, and andouille sausage. It is a hearty helping of vegetables and authentic Cajun spices make this meal in a jar a special treat. Serve overtop a bead of rice or eat it straight out of the bowl instead.

Ingredients

• 8 8-oz chicken breasts, bone in and skin on (4 pounds)
• 8 cups water
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 32-oz andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds (4 cups)
• 1 1/2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (3 cups)
• 16 Roma tomatoes, diced (4 cups)
• 2 cups sliced okra, fresh or frozen
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 medium bell peppers, chopped (2 cups)
• 2 jalapenos, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, coarsely chopped loosely packed (1/2 cup)
• 16 garlic cloves, minced (4 tablespoons)
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in a stockpot and add the water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes, flipping the breasts twice to ensure even heating. Remove chicken from the pot and set a side to cool. Discard the bay leaves but retain the cooking liquid in the pot. When the chicken is cool to touch, remove the skin and bones and tear (or cut) chicken into 2-inch pieces and return to the stockpot.
2. In a skillet, add olive oil and andouille sausage. Over medium-high heat, lightly brown both sides, roughly 8 minutes per side. Using tongs, remove the sausage from the skillet and add to the stockpot with the chicken. Add the raw shrimp to stockpot, and bring the stockpot to a boil stirring often to avoid scorching.
3. Next, add the tomatoes, okra, onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, celery, parsley and garlic to the stockpot. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes or until onions are soft. Then, add the chicken stock, creole seasoning, oregano, thyme and paprika and mix well. Cook for an additional 5 minutes and remove from heat.
4. Using a funnel and slotted spoon, fill each jar 3/4 full with the jambalaya. Next, ladle the remaining stock into each jar, leaving a generous 1 1/4-inch headspace. Remove any trapped air pockets and add additional stock if necessary to maintain the 1 1/4-inch headspace.
5. Wipe the jar rims with a washcloth dipped in vinegar. Add a lid and ring to each jar and hand tighten.
6. Process in a pressure canner at 10 PSI or according to your elevation and canner type. Process quart jars for 90 minutes and pint jars for 75 minutes.

Recipe Tip: If you have additional stock remaining from making the jambalaya, be sure to fill a half-pint or pint jar and process it right alongside the Jambalaya. Use this spicy flavored stock when making rice or couscous in the future.

Pressure Canning Jambalaya Meal in a Jar

Recipe by The Canning Diva

5.0 from 2 votes

Servings

9 quarts or 18 pints

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

This recipe is a classic creole southern dish with shrimp, chicken, and andouille sausage. It is a hearty helping of vegetables and authentic Cajun spices make this meal in a jar a special treat. Serve overtop a bead of rice or eat it straight out of the bowl.

Ingredients

US Metric

• 8 8 8-oz chicken breasts, bone in and skin on (4 pounds)

• 8 cups 8 water

• 3 3 bay leaves

• 2 tablespoons 2 olive oil

• 32 32 -oz andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds (4 cups)

• 1 1/2 pounds 1 1/2 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (3 cups)

• 16 16 Roma tomatoes, diced (4 cups)

• 2 cups 2 sliced okra, fresh or frozen

• 1 large 1 onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

• 2 medium 2 bell peppers, chopped (2 cups)

• 2 2 jalapenos, finely chopped (1 cup)

• 2 2 celery stalks, finely chopped (1 cup)

• 1/2 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, coarsely chopped loosely packed (1/2 cup)

• 16 16 garlic cloves, minced (4 tablespoons)

• 8 cups 8 chicken stock

• 4 tablespoons 4 Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning

• 1 tablespoon 1 dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons 2 dried thyme

• 2 teaspoon 2 paprika

Instructions

• Place the chicken in a stockpot and add the water and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes, flipping the breasts twice to ensure even heating. Remove chicken from the pot and set a side to cool. Discard the bay leaves but retain the cooking liquid in the pot. When the chicken is cool to touch, remove the skin and bones and tear (or cut) chicken into 2-inch pieces and return to the stockpot.
• In a skillet, add olive oil and andouille sausage. Over medium-high heat, lightly brown both sides, roughly 8 minutes per side. Using tongs, remove the sausage from the skillet and add to the stockpot with the chicken. Add the raw shrimp to stockpot, and bring the stockpot to a boil stirring often to avoid scorching.
• Nest, add the tomatoes, okra, onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, celery, parsley and garlic to the stockpot. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes or until onions are soft.
• Add the chicken stock, creole seasoning, oregano, thyme and paprika and mix well. Cook for an additional 5 minutes and remove from heat.
• Using a funnel and slotted spoon, fill each jar 3/4 full with the jambalaya. Next, ladle the remaining stock into each jar, leaving a generous 1 1/4-inch headspace. Remove any trapped air pockets and add additional stock if necessary to maintain the 1 1/4-inch headspace.
• Wipe the jar rims with a washcloth dipped in vinegar. Add a lid and ring to each jar and hand tighten.
• Process in a pressure canner at 10 PSI or according to your elevation and canner type. Process quart jars for 90 minutes and pint jars for 75 minutes.

Notes

• Recipe Tip: If you have additional stock remaining from making the jambalaya, be sure to fill a half-pint or pint jar and process it right alongside the Jambalaya. Use this spicy flavored stock when making rice or couscous in the future.

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About the Author:
Diane Devereaux, The Canning Diva®, is an internationally recognized food preservation expert, author, and educator with over 30 years of home canning experience. She’s the author of multiple top-selling canning books and teaches workshops across the U.S. Learn more at TheCanningDiva.com.

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