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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 dinner is an effortless meal that is ready with only 10 minutes of prep!
One-pot meals are the perfect solution for busy nights! Cajun alfredo, shrimp creole, and foil packets are more easy and flavor-packed meals that will liven up a normal weeknight.
Easy Slow Cooker Jambalaya Recipe
Slow cooker jambalaya is delicious, satisfying, and comes together with hardly any effort at all! Our family favorite slow cooker recipes are normally honey garlic chicken or beef tips, but this jambalaya is so good we’ve been adding it into the regular rotation. The way the spices play with the tasty flavors of sausage and shrimp is so addictive. Savory, spicy, meaty, and juicy, I know this is a dish you and your family won’t be able to resist getting second helpings of!
Jambalaya doesn’t have to take a lot of work. You can just prep and toss all of the ingredients together and let the slow cooker do the work. Or, for an instant flavor boost, brown the sausage with the onions and peppers before adding the ingredients to the slow cooker. Either way, with this recipe you save a lot of time and effort. You can go about your day, being able to return to a dinner packed with terrific New Orleans flavor. This dinner is guaranteed to be a hit!
Ingredients in Slow Cooker Jambalaya
This shortlist of classic cajun ingredients comes together flawlessly. Various spices blend together to create a warm, spicy meal that is hearty and incredibly delicious!
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken cut into chunks will fit perfectly on your spoon.
- Andouille Sausage Links: I slice these into bite-sized pieces.
- Raw Shrimp: I like to use shrimp that is large, peeled and de-veined.
- Diced Tomatoes: Adds to the color and enhances the jambalaya’s sweet and salty flavor.
- Onion, Red Bell Pepper, Celery: These are the three essential flavors 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.
Making Slow Cooker Jambalaya
This jambalaya will be a new family favorite, and it is the quickest and 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 Ingredients: First, add all the ingredients except the shrimp 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), and in the last 15 minutes add in the shrimp.
- Serve: Serve over rice and enjoy!
Easy Jambalaya Tips and Tricks
This dish can easily be customized to match your individual tastes. With these easy tips and suggestions, you will create the best jambalaya around!
- Gumbo or Jambalaya: The difference between gumbo and jambalaya is that gumbo typically contains a roux which is cooked to a deeply flavored brown stage. It contains more liquid like a stew and is filled with vegetables like okra, bell peppers, celery, and onions. Jambalaya is a traditional rice dish made in one pot with more meat than vegetables.
- Brown Your Meat: Do this before adding it into 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 dish is super versatile and changing up the meat will not interfere with the delicious results! Beef tastes great in this, too, so 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. It gives it an aromatic finish.
- Serve With: Serving your jambalaya with rice is the traditional way of having it. I also like to pair it with homemade 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, 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 reheating jambalaya 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
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 all the ingredients except the shrimp into the slow cooker and stir.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours (high for 3-4 hours). Add int the uncooked rice about 1 hour before finishing.
- Add the shrimp in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi,
I made this tonight and will serve tomorrow. It smells great and tastes delicious flavor wise. The only problem is that the chicken chunks are very dry and not the greatest texture. Any suggestions for next time would be greatly appreciated.
Tried this last night, was a huge hit! Easy to make. Will add to our list of favorites!
I know this is 8 servings but what is the serving size? I’m logging all foods and I want to make sure it’s portioned properly. Thanks!
About 1 cup
I have never posted before, but I just had to with this recipe. It is so so very good! The smell of it cooking was amazing but the taste was even better. I did as you instructed and cooked the rice separate. I will continue to do it that way. Some of my family like more rice than others and this makes zit easy. Thank you for sharing such a great easy and tasteful recipe. I am cooking this again and again!
This one is Bomb! I also add Jalapeños. I love it.
Hello Sabrina, this looks so good that my stomach is growling just looking at it. I was wondering before I go buy the ingredients if you used a yellow onion, sweet onion or a purple onion? I think I’m going to try this with some vegetables in it just to see how it turns out. I can’t tolerate really spicy foods so I will go easy on the cajun and cayenne.
Easy and delicious!
In the video the shrimp ? is blue /gray so that tells me the shrimp were raw going into the crockpot and the crockpot cooked the shrimp w/out me having to cook the raw shrimp ahead of time ?
Yes, that is correct.
I just have to try this!! Very excited. Two questions, though. 1. We are not fans of andouille sausage. Can kielbasa be substituted? and 2. We are brand new Instant Pot owners. I’m not comfortable enough with the slow cook feature enough to give up my regular slow cooker. Is there an Instant Pot pressure version of this recipe? Thanks!
Yes, of course you are always welcome to substitute and make recipes your own. I don’t have an instant pot recipe just yet but it is in the works! Let me know if you try it! I would love to hear how it turned out! XOXO
These recipes look like they are perfect for me. I love good food but hate to spend a lot of time preparing. I think I have found my “cooking “home.
I’m curious. Someone asked whether the shrimp should be raw or cooked, and you said cooked shrimp works best. However, the video shows raw shrimp, so I bought raw shrimp. Would the raw shrimp still only go in for the last 15 minutes? Thank you.
Best slow cooker jambalaya ever!!
I made this today and it is excellent! I tweaked it a little. I added the rice half way through, added more chicken broth as I went along to make it more soupy and a couple dashes of tobacco sauce to jazz it up . Nice and spicy! Will be a great winter meal to add to the menu.
we have chicken allergy so we used turkey broth and pork butt chunks.
Render out fat if needed first or use loin cuts. The other white meat.
I made the Jambalaya and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!! I will be making this on a regular basis!!!!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe!!!
Too much liquid. If you don’t use rice, then you just made soup, not jambalaya. If ya can’t eat rice, then add riced cauliflower at the end.