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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.
Made this for dinner. It was a big hit .
I did do two modifications. I added 1/2 jalapeño pepper finely chopped and increased the cayenne pepper to 1 tsp. At hour 3 there was plenty of fluid to cook the cup of raw rice .
Paired w buttermilk cornbread and sweet butter.
Do you put the cooked rice in one hour before serving and the shrimp in 15 minutes before serving?
I like to add the cooked rice in at the same time as the shrimp but you can add it in a little before that so it has time to soak in the flavors. Or, you can not put the rice in at all and you can serve the jambalaya on top of cooked rice when you serve it.
If you are adding the rice with everything else is it one cup of uncooked rice you add?
I see that you say it can be cooked separately and served over the rice…no mame. I’m from South Louisiana and jambalaya is a staple around here. You need to cook the rice with the meats and vegetables and seasoning so it will and become infused, otherwise you have a gumbo of sorts. I love cooking in my slow cooker and will definitely try your jambalaya recipe, with the rice cooked in…🐾🐺💜
Is this real spicy and could it be toned if it is?
Can this be done in the instant pot?
I haven’t tried that with this recipe before!
It was delicious. I did make a change though and it turned out great. What I did was to add Rotel and Fire Roasted tomatoes, in place of a can of diced tomatoes. That’s it!! Yummy!!
Does the rice need to be cooked before adding it to the slow cooker?
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!
I made it today exactly as the recipe stated and it was fabulous! I made a double batch and will vacuum pack and freeze. Great recipe! Thank you!
Just a real quick question for those of us that need smaller serving sizes would splitting the recipe in half work?
Yes, of course!
This was fantastic. I agree that the chicken should be browned first; I find that if you skip that step the meat tastes like “school food.” I didn’t change a thing and I will absolutely make this again. It’s great for a crowd and requires very little prep or labor.
When you say browned what exactly does that mean?
Question should the cup of rice be cooked?
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!
Oops I added the rice in with everything else (besides the shrimp) will this still work out ok?
I made this for dinner tonight and it turned out amazing. This will most definitely be put into our meal rotations at home.
Hello,
Can I replace the diced tomatoes for crushed or a different type of canned tomatoes?
Sure! That will work!
Should the sausage be cooked before adding? I added it raw but doesn’t look like it’s cooking very fast and only 45 minutes until this should be ready.
Hi! The sausage should be raw and will cook in the slow cooker.
Delicious and so simple!