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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.
What size crockpot is used for this recipe?
This crockpot that I am using is a 6-8 oz crockpot. Hope that helps! XOXO
Did you mean a 6 – 8 quart crockpot?? Would doubling the recipe still fit in a 6 qt crockpot?
It may still fit; however it may overflow just a bit. You will want the bigger crockpot.
It doesn’t say cooked shrimp or cooked chicken in the recipe. Which is it?
I prefer cooked shrimp for this Jambalaya and the chicken is cooked with in the crockpot. XOXO
also, it says 2 stalks of celery. does it mean 2 pieces or two whole bundles??
2 Stalks is a whole head of celery. It is a lot but so delicious! You are welcome to use less if needed or wanted. XOXO
2 stalks is *not* a whole head of celery.. It might be 2 sticks, or it might be 2 heads, but 2 *stalks* is not a head.
In addition – this is gumbo. Jambalaya is a rice dish, most like fried rice, biryani or risotto, not a sauce to put over rice.
i doubled the recipe for company coming over but it looks like its not enough liquid, any thoughts???
My family is in Lafayette, Louisiana andwhile many people do add the rice to the pot as it cooks, many people these days serve the Jambalaya over the rice. Almost all of my family and friends serve it over the rice. Either way is acceptable.
Then what you are serving is gumbo. Gumbo is served over rice. Rice is the main ingredient in jambalaya…
RECIPES LOOK GREAT!
Would this make good leftovers? Shrimp as a leftover makes me nervous.. ?
Oh yes! We have reheated this Jambalaya multiple times if I double the recipe. It is delicious even the second and third time;)!! XOXO
Yummy i made this the other day it was a hit with the family
So easy and so good! Next time I make it I will double the amount of chicken.
That sounds great! Thanks for sharing! XOXO
What is the nutritional facts on this? i just need to know fats, carbs and protein! Thank you
I like to use skinnytaste.com or myfitnesspal.com to look up the nutritional facts when I need. Hope that helps and you are able to find what you are looking for. Thanks for following along with me! XOXO
We loved this with a couple adjustments. The andouille sausage that we used was already pretty spicy so I only used half a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning and omitted the cayenne (you can always add more later, right?). We like spicy food and that ended up being just right for us. Also, I used an Instant Pot on the poultry setting (High pressure for 15 minutes). Then I added the shrimp and cooked on the Sauté function (on the highest setting) until they were cooked through (just a couple minutes). It was delicious! Thank you!
What is the serving size for this?
This serves 8 people. It is so good and you won’t be disappointed!! XOXO
Thank you
Great recipes
Is the shrimp in the jambalaya raw or cooked?
Cooked shrimp works best! Thanks for following along with me! XOXO
I like that the recipe doesn’t include rice for a lower carb alternative! I can’t wait to make this for my family!
Totally making it without rice for a low carb alternative for my family!
In the Slow Cooker Jambalaya, the shrimp is added cooked, also peeled and deveined. If you can’t find Andouille sausage, or you just don’t like it, you can substitute any kind of smoked sausage. I usually use deer sausage. It doesn’t need to be very spicy, but a LITTLE spicy is best.
I am from South Louisiana and I have never heard of a Jambalaya made like this without the rice added. In essence you are making a gumbo without the roux . the ingredients are on spot. It would be great if you could develop the same recipe but figure out a way to add the uncooked rice during the end of the cooking time as mentioned with the shrimp, then you would have a true Jambalaya , one pot dinner.
I just added 1 cup of uncooked rice to the slow cooker 45 minutes before I served it. Worked for me.
Did you have to add more liquid!
True i made it with the rice