M&S Count on Us Smokey Cajun Chicken Jambalaya

Many times I’ve tried cooking Jambalaya, but somehow it always seems to end up like either a risotto or a paella. So when I saw this Smokey Cajun Chicken Jambalaya in Marks & Spencer, I thought it might be worth seeing what the real thing should taste like.

Ever conscious of the calorie content, I was pleased see that the M&S Count on us… version of Jambalaya has only 360 calories for a 400g meal. It’s also low in fat.


 Marks & Spencer's Count on Us range is designed to help those who are keeping track of their calories or trying to lose weight.

M&S count on us... Smokey Cajun Chicken Jambalaya

Here’s the description on the pack:

‘Pieces of chargrilled Cajun chicken, with a spicy tomato sauce and rice with onions and peppers.’

As I’m not much of a rice eater, I only served this up to hubby and teenage son. This turned out to be a good decision as, although it’s been given a mild chilli rating, I found it quite spicy (from my taste test), much more so than my own versions. But then I do have to temper the chilli down as the younger family members can't tackle spicy hot just yet.

However, hubby and son absolutely loved this meal and would be happy to eat it on a regular basis. It is meant to serve one, but it was filling enough as a lighter meal.

M&S Count on Us Cajun Chicken Jambalaya (Not a great photo!)

Nutritionally, it meets the healthy traffic guidelines for sugar, fat and saturated fat. It does have slightly higher levels of salt as shown by the amber traffic light, but it's not significantly over the low level threshold of 3.0g as it has 3.75g per 100g. Anything over 1.5g of salt would indicate a high level.

M&S Smokey Cajun Chicken Jambalaya is suitable for freezing but is found in the chiller cabinets with the Count on Us meals. It can be cooked in the oven or microwave.

Also on the pack is the following information:

‘Made in the UK with M&S assured chicken from farms in the UK and pork from farms in the UK.’

Note that pork is mentioned because one of the ingredients is smoked bacon.

Nutrition information per 400g meal: 360 calories, 23.6g protein, 55.6g carbohydrate, 8.0g sugars, 4.0g fat, 0.8g saturates, 6.0g fibre, 1.50g salt. 9 ProPoints as calculated by Marks & Spencer for informational purposes only.

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