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Slow Cooker Jambalaya is loaded with tasty sausage, chicken, and shrimp that gets cooked low and slow to activate the bold spices. This hearty, slow-cooker dinner is effortless and only takes 10 minutes of prep.
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to Make: I love meals. I can just dump everything in, set it, and forget it. You can do that with this slow cooker jambalaya recipe!
- Flavor: You will love the way the spices play with the tasty flavors of sausage, chicken, and shrimp.
- One-Pot Meal: One-pot meals are the perfect solution for busy nights! Cajun alfredo, shrimp creole, and foil packets are a few meals that will liven up any dinner.
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Jambalaya
This list of classic cajun ingredients comes together for a fun Southern meal. Various spices blend together to create a warm, spicy dish that is hearty and incredibly delicious!
- Chicken Breasts: A hearty protein that absorbs flavor.
- Andouille Sausage Links: I slice these into bite sized pieces.
- Raw Shrimp: I like to use shrimp that is large, peeled, and deveined.
- Rice: Add uncooked rice 1 hour before the cooking time ends. Or stir in pre-cooked rice with the shrimp 15 minutes before everything finishes.
- Diced Tomatoes: Add to the color and enhance the jambalaya’s sweet and salty flavor.
- Onion, Red Bell Pepper, and Celery: These are the three veggies that can be found in almost any cajun dish.
- Chicken Broth: You need this liquid to cook your meat. I like using chicken broth because it adds a hint of savory flavor.
- Dried Thyme: Thyme pairs well with the tomato and adds a bit of a minty taste.
- Dried Oregano: Adds a bitter and earthy spice to balance out the flavors.
- Cajun Seasoning: This rustic and bold seasoning blend adds a punch of spice.
- Cayenne Pepper: Adds even more earthy and spicy flavors.
How to Make Slow Cooker Jambalaya
This jambalaya will be a new family favorite and is easy to prepare. Simply combine all the ingredients and let your slow cooker work its magic! Honestly, the hardest part is waiting for it to be ready because the smell of this cooking is amazing!
- Combine: Add the chicken, sausage, tomatoes, celery, bell pepper, chicken broth, thyme, oregano, cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper into the slow cooker. Then, simply stir to combine.
- Cook: Next, set the cooker to low for 7-8 hours (high for 3-4 hours). One hour before the cooking time is done, add in the uncooked rice and stir to combine. In the last 15 minutes, add the shrimp.
- Serve: Serve and enjoy! If you need more heat, add more cayenne pepper.
Easy Jambalaya Tips and Tricks
You can easily customize this slow cooker jambalaya to match your tastes. With these easy tips and suggestions, you will create the best jambalaya around!
- Gumbo or Jambalaya: Gumbo typically uses a roux cooked to a deeply flavored brown stage. It contains more liquid like a stew and includes vegetables like okra, bell peppers, celery, and onions. Jambalaya features rice cooked in one pot with more meat than vegetables.
- Brown Your Meat: Do this before adding it to your crock pot. Browned meat is traditionally a key flavor in jambalaya. Don’t skip this step if you want the most authentic flavor!
- Quality Sausage: Seasoned sausage is one of the most important parts of this recipe. A good quality sausage can really uplevel your jambalaya’s flavor.
- Using Other Meats: This slow cooker jambalaya recipe makes it easy to change up the meat. It will not interfere with the delicious results! Beef tastes great, so sometimes I also like to add in chuck roast. You can also add in crawfish or crab meat.
- Add Enough Spice: If you are planning on serving up your jambalaya with rice, make sure it is heavily seasoned! Rice tends to soak up flavor. Don’t be afraid to add in an extra dash of cajun seasoning!
- Add Garnish: For an extra pop of flavor, top your jambalaya with chopped green onions or parsley.
- Serve With: Serving your jambalaya with rice is the traditional way of having it. I also like to pair it with cornbread or corn casserole for a sweet, creamy contrast to its spicy flavor. Additionally, hush puppies and fried okra are some of my other favorite Southern sides!
Storing Leftover Jambalaya
I love how easy and delicious this recipe is, but also how amazing leftovers taste! Jambalaya is the perfect thing to have on hand for simple weeknight dinners.
- In the Refrigerator: In an airtight container, the jambalaya will stay good for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: You can easily microwave jambalaya in a microwave safe bowl for 30-second intervals until warm. My personal favorite way of is on the stove. I feel like it helps retain all of the delicious texture of the meat and shrimp. Heat on medium, stirring frequently until warmed through.
My Other Favorite Cajun Recipes
The hearty, spicy flavors of Cajun cooking pairs perfectly with hot summer nights. Bring the spirit of New Orleans to your kitchen this summer with these other mouthwatering dishes! Easy and packed with flavor, I know you will love all of them just as much as I do!
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Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Equipment
- 1 Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts skinless, boneless, cut into chunks
- 1 pound andouille sausage links sliced
- 1 can diced tomatoes 28 ounces
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice (see notes*)
- 1 pound raw shrimp 13-15 count
Instructions
- Add the chicken, sausage, tomatoes, celery, bell pepper, chicken broth, thyme, oregano, cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper into the slow cooker. Then, simply stir to combine.
- Next, set the cooker to low for 7-8 hours (high for 3-4 hours). One hour before the cooking time is done, add in the uncooked rice and stir to combine. In the last 15 minutes, add the shrimp.
- Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
i want to try this but what happens if i add the rice directly with everything? will it get too thick and absorb all the liquid? should i add more broth if that’s the case?
Hi Caity, you should be fine if you added the rice with everything It might just make the rice mushy. I’m sorry my instructions were unclear. I went in and fixed them. There should be plenty of liquid to cook the rice and keep a good texture.
The smell was so wonderful throughout the day!!!!! Really enjoyed following instructions….Taste was really delicious!!!
Excellent recipe! I actually made this in my pressure cooker and it came out perfect! Rice was served on the side but absolutely a family favorite of ours!
The flavor of this recipe is excellent but do NOT add the rice to the slow cooker. Ends up looking like you dumped a box of instant potatoes in there. Cook the rice separately and combine once the meat is cooked thoroughly.
I will try this recipe. I always in a look out for a good jambalaya recipe!
Making this again today. This is my go to and my family and friends love it
Consistency is watery. Flavour isn’t bad but I felt like it could have been stronger. Ended up making and adding some roux to thicken it.
I skipped the liquid chicken broth and stirred in some of that Better than Bouillon. Perfect consistency!
Great flavor but difficult instructions. Rice should be kept completely separate in this recipe. We added ours and it became super gummy.
Traditionally – I’m from Louisiana – jambalaya is a dish with rice included and does not usually have tomatoes. This is more of a Creole. Keep rice separate and it’ll be delicious.
Solid recipe and we liked it, but it’s probably worth putting in the recipe that the meat should be browned.
I think this may be the first time I’ve commented on a recipe. Probably, at least in part, because I’d rather hit myself hard in the face than follow a recipe. Well, I didn’t exactly follow this one either, but I believe I followed the key points, and this Jambalaya was truly wonderful — much better than I expected, actually. Keys: Slow-cooking for at least 7 hours makes the chicken tender and tasty, finely chop all the veggies so they blend in with the meats rather than stand beside, andoille sausage is critical, and added okra would make it even better in my opinion. Biggest key? Throw those shrimp in for ONLY the last 15 minutes. Your goo should be boiling well, and the shrimp come out just right – soft yet crunchy, shrimpy, anbd contrasting with the other parts of the dish. Also used Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles. I thought it would be too spicy for my wife, but the 7 hours mellowed the initial jolt, and the retained “heat” was really nice. Anyway, this is my first shot at a review, so I hope you liked it! We sure liked the Jambalaya, and I think you will, too.
Hi Greg! Thanks so much for trying the recipe and writing this lovely review!
Questions:
Can this be frozen?
What about using boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?
Yes, this jambalaya can be frozen, then thawed and reheated later. 😊 You can use chicken breasts and thighs interchangeably!
I requested potato receipts and actually sent for the cheese,garlic, parsley fried potatoe etc. receipt and have still not received it. That was two days ago. Was going to make it tonight. Why have I not received it yet
Receipts?? Maybe you’d get it if she knew what you were looking for. You can also search for RECIPES on your own.
No need to be rude!
I am planning to try this recipe. Does it make much difference if you cook on low or high crock pot setting?
Not too much of a difference, but I’ve found that cooking on low helps all of the flavors to meld together better.
It tasted great, but was too watery. What can I do to make it less watery? Drain the can of diced tomatoes before adding them? Less broth?