Spicy and flavorful Slow Cooker Jambalaya is instant family favorite comfort food you will fix again and again. Way too easy and delicious to make only once!
Want more of these big, bold Cajun flavors? Be sure to try my recipes for Cajun Grilled Salmon, Cajun Shrimp and Rice Skillet, and Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Pasta next.
How to Make This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
- Andouille Sausage – Smoked sausage is so good in his jambalaya recipe. I do prefer Andouille, but you can use whatever smoked sausage you like.
- Uncooked Shrimp – I always buy the already peeled and de-veined shrimp but you can purchase the shrimp with the shells and tails, it will just be more work for you once the dish is cooked.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast –Pound the boneless, skinless breast to an even thickness to ensure even cooking.
- Bell Peppers – For a pretty jambalaya, add one of each bell pepper: green, red, and yellow or orange) and dice them up.
- White or Yellow Onion – Either onion you have on hand here is okay. Apply a fine chop to them.
- Jalapeños –Remove the seeds and stems from the jalapenos for a delicious kick without overwhelming heat.
- Uncooked White Rice – The rice will cook in the broth and other juices, so go ahead and add it in uncooked, it’s totally fine.
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth – Any name-brand chicken broth will work here. I like low sodium so that I can add the salt later to taste. You could also use chicken stock if you prefer.
- Crushed Tomatoes – Open a can, any can, and add those crushed beauties right to the pan.
- Minced Garlic – I like to use the garlic in the jar that’s already minced but you can mince your own.
- Cajun Seasoning – Either store-bought or homemade Cajun spices will work well.
- Salt and Pepper – Any salt and pepper to tase is a-okay by me!
- Cilantro or Parsley – These herbs are optional, but I like to finely chop them and add them over the top of this jambalaya recipe as a garnish. You can also use green onions and a tablespoon of olive oil swirled on the top in a pinch.
Step By Step Directions
- First, slice the smoked sausage into sections (into about ¼ inch thick slices). Remove the tails from shrimp if they are still on, and chop the chicken into 1-inch pieces. (not pictured)
- Next, add the sausage, chicken, bell peppers, onion, jalapeños, chicken broth, tomatoes, minced garlic, Cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper to greased slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook the jambalaya for 3-4 hours on low. Stir in the rice and cook another 1-2 hours until rice is fully cooked and tender. (photos 1-3)
- Then, about 20 minutes before serving, uncover the slow cooker, stir in the shrimp, cover again, and then cook it for about another 15-20 minutes. Stir in the contents of the slow cooker, sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley if desired, and serve hot. (photo 4)
Storage Directions
Not sure how to store this jambalaya? It’s easy. You can put it in an airtight container in and pop it in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you’d prefer to freeze it, use an airtight container as well and put it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
If you’ve used shrimp with the shell on, be sure to take the shells off before freezing.
Yes, you can totally go ahead and put uncooked rice in the slow cooker, there is enough broth and juices from the tomatoes to cook the rice just fine in the slow cooker. If you put cooked rice into the slow cooker, it will be complete mush by the time the jambalaya is done.
Your jambalaya should not be watery…if it is, you have added too much chicken broth or your tomatoes were too watery/juicy. If you run into this problem, one way to salvage it is to add a tablespoon of cornstarch to some tomato juice or broth and then add this slurry to the jambalaya recipe and stir, stir, stir, till the sauce starts to thicken.
For this jambalaya recipe, the best kind of rice to use is just plain, old fashioned uncooked white rice. Some rice varieties take longer to cook and would alter the recipe cooking instructions. Since I haven’t tested all kinds of rice, I tend to stick to the long grain white rice that’s the most common.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Two jalapeños will not make this dish real spicy. If you want more of a kick, I recommend adding a third jalapeño, or try adding in your favorite hot sauce or a dash of cayenne pepper.
- Make sure you use the right amount of liquids and no more. Otherwise, the jambalaya will be too mushy.
- If you typically wash your rice before cooking, in this case I would suggest not rinsing it as the starches on the rice help thicken the jambalaya.
- To make this jambalaya vegan, use vegetable broth and skip the sausage. Instead, add more peppers or other vegetables you enjoy.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Loving fix and forget meals in your crockpot? Try Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala Soup, Best Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs, and Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore.
Slow Cooker Jambalaya Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 package andouille sausage
- ½ pound uncooked shrimp - (peeled and de-veined)
- 1 large boneless skinless chicken breast - pounded to even thickness
- 3 bell peppers - (one each of green, red, and yellow or orange), diced
- 1 white or yellow onion - diced
- 2-3 jalapeños - (see note), seeds and stems removed
- 1 ½ cups uncooked white rice
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 30-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons store-bought or homemade cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper - or to taste
- cilantro or parsley, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Slice sausage into sections (about ¼ inch thick slices). Remove tails from shrimp if they are still on. Chop chicken into 1-inch pieces.
- Add sausage, chicken, bell peppers, onion, jalapeños, chicken broth, tomatoes, minced garlic, cajun seasoning, and salt and pepper to greased slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 3-4 hours on low. Stir in rice and cook another 1-2 hours until rice is fully cooked and tender
- About 20 minutes before serving, uncover slow cooker, stir in shrimp, re-cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Stir contents of slow cooker, sprinkle with chopped cilantro or parsley if desired, and serve hot.
I omit the chicken because I am not a fan of chicken. Sometimes I do pork but trying to think of another meat to add or sometimes 2 of the sausage. I use crawfish boil as Cajun seasoning is way too salty for me. I usually also omit the salt and pepper to the meal. This is one meal that I can make up to 3 times a year. I have had this page pinned on my dinner board for years if that says anything lol. Thank you for sharing this recipe. If you have any idea of what other meat I could use, please let me know.
Nice work! Other ideas I’ve heard about are crawfish, shrimp and even duck and other game meat.
Could I use brown rice for this recipe?
I haven’t tested this recipe with brown rice but you would need additional liquid and a little bit extra cook time.
What kind of rice should be used? I used rice that normally takes 12 minutes and it was still hard after 2 hours.
I’m sorry to hear that. Any regular long grain white rice will work. I would also make sure you have the correct measurements and that you’re mixing everything well 🙂
I made this last week and it was DELICIOUS! I am making it again this week as my husband couldn’t stop talking about it. The only thing I am doing differently now is cooking the rice separately then I will add it into the crock pot at the end to absorb the flavor. I couldn’t get the rice to cook all the way through in the crockpot last time. It was on for 3 hours and it was still Al dente! Thank you for this recipe.
Wish it were more complex in flavor and less tomato-forward.
I love this recipe and have made it a few times. I find my rice sometimes needs high heat to cook through. Anyone else? I like to add extra garlic too.
How much is “a package of andouille sausage”? That’s too vague for my uptight-edness.
Lol a package is about 13 oz
Excellent recipe. Instead of fresh jalapeno, I opted for pickled jalapeno, which I think enhanced the taste.
After 2 hours my rice still isn’t fully cooked, any tips? I added in the shrimp and cooked for another 20 mins as I was hungry and didn’t want to try letting the rice cook for another hour or however long before eating
I’m sorry to hear that. Did you use regular long grain white rice? I would also make sure you have the correct measurements and that you’re mixing everything well 🙂
I recommend making the rice separate, ours was on the mushy side. Also, one jalapeno was pretty spicy for us (or maybe we just had a really spicy one? LOL) Overall, we enjoyed it and will probably make again.
I used 2 instead of 3 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning and thought it was still way too spicy. My husband who usually likes spicy things agreed it was too hot. I omitted the jalapenos completely. I will make the recipe again, but only use 1 tablespoon of seasoning and no jalapenos. 3 stars only because of the heat.
Can I cook this recipe on high in the crock pot, instead of low? And if so, how long on that setting. Love this recipe! So popular in my house
I don’t recommend cooking this recipe on high- The rice has a tendency to scorch when cooked on high in the slow cooker. But I’m so glad you all enjoy this recipe! 🙂
Recommendation on future recipes. Tell people to grease the dang crockpot first… how many people had to dump everything into a bowl so they could grease it?? 🙋♂️
Sorry about that!