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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.
The flavors are there and it would have tasted so great, but putting the rice in the slow cooker cooked so unevenly in that last hour. Tons of hard, uncooked rice. Tried to fix it by cooking it longer and adding more broth, but it just broke the half the rice while the other half was still hard and uncooked. I regret putting the rice in at all. Any advice to save this? I wasted so much ingredients 🙁
Use cooked rice, then add crockpot
Same thing happened to me. Wish I had read your comment beforehand. It was good, because I cooked it longer. Truly recommend that the rice be cooked beforehand.
Let me start by saying, I love your recipes. They are magnificent. I always cook them the first time through with no changes. That having been said, I disagree with the amount of liquid or the lack of rice. I am from Louisiana born and raised a coon ass and live outside of the jambalaya capital of the world. And Jambalaya is not liquid-y dish. It is a dry rice dish like dirty rice. Using 28 ounces of diced tomato and 2 cups of chicken broth to one cup of rice made the dish to much like a soup which jambalaya is not. So I doubled the rice and that made it correct according to Louisiana jambalaya standards. The flavor was fabulous. But there should be more rice to be a true Cajun jambalaya.
Hi there Patricia ! I wondered if you used 2 cups of a long grain or minute rice? Thanks in advance.
I used 2 cups of long grain.
Is the rice long grain or minute rice or can you use noodles?
You can serve this with any rice or noodles that you prefer. I typically cooked up some long-grained rice but I’ve used minute rice when I’m in a hurry!
Your tips say to brown the meat first but it doesn’t say that in the instructions and your pic doesn’t look like the chicken or sausage is browned. Do we need to brown first?
You don’t have to but it will add a deeper flavor to the jambalaya.
Is the rice cooked before adding it to the crockpot?
You can mix in some cooked rice to the jambalaya just before serving. Or, you can just serve it on top of some rice instead!
How long do you let cool before you put in the refrigerator
You won’t put it in the refrigerator until the food has cooled down. Not sure about the time for that, just watch it!
Hi! Just wondering if the shrimp is cooked or uncooked for this. Tail on/off? Making this tonight and looking forward to a yummy dinner!
Hello! The shrimp should be raw and added to the Jambalaya during the last 15 minutes of cooking. I make sure to get large shrimp that is already peeled and deveined but I leave the tails on because I think the presentation looks better 🙂 But that’s totally up to you!
Very tasty recipe, I’ve made this many times over the last few years. Kudos to anyone who can prep this in 10 minutes!
Let me know how it turns out!
I make this 3-4x a year. I do precook the sausage and shrimp. One of my kids is severely allergic to shellfish, so only do the chicken & sausage for him. My family loves this meal. One with sausage & shrimp, one with sausage & chicken when family comes up. I cook rice separately. I also freeze leftovers. No problem , just thaw and toss back into slow cooker.
How do you precook it? Bake or sauté Mary?
Can I cook just half the serving size by using 1/2 measurements of the ingredients?
It was mentioned in the tips section that it would be better to brown the meats. Do we brown and sear ahead the chicken or sausages or both?
Yes, you can half this recipe! And no, you don’t need to brown and sear the chicken or the sausage. I hope that you love it!
Can this dish be cooked without a slow cooker?
I haven’t tried this particular recipe without a slow cooker. You can try my other Jambalaya recipe that doesn’t use a slow cooker here: https://therecipecritic.com/easy-jambalaya-recipe/
Thank you for the Slow Cooker Jambalaya recipe! I’m a newbie at cooking, what size crock pot is needed for the 1X quantities?
I would use an 8-quart slow cooker!
Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe – very tasty!
Made this last night. Easy and good. One note: If using brown rice the cook time is much longer than an hour. Cooking brown rice in a slow cooker takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Make that adjustment and it’s all good.
What is the serving size for this? Thanks! Made it, and trying it today! Perfect for a snowy day.
Hello! The serving size is about 1-2 cups! I hope you love it, It’s so delicious!
Tried this tonight, don’t care for the andouille sausage, will use a different sausage next time. Good soup for sure, has a bite to it. I also put in a cup of elbow macaroni when I put in the shrimp, Didn’t do the rice
Which sausage would you recommend Greg?
What effect would substituting beef sausage for the andouille sausage have on the overall flavor?
It would affect the overall flavor because andouille has a rich, smoky flavor to it. But if you are ok with a more mild taste, then you should try it! Let me know how it goes!
Lisa: I have family whom also don’t enjoy the flavor of andouille. When using a beef sausage I use 1/2 tbsp liquid smoke and 1 tbsp of a good worcestershire I prefer Col Pabst all malt amber lager has an amazing tamed down flavor without the harshness. Hope this helps
If you opt to cook the rice in the crock pot (high or low) , do you add uncooked rice ?
You can mix in some cooked rice to the jambalaya just before serving. Or, you can just serve it on top of some rice instead!