Slow Cooker Jambalaya
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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.
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 jalapeños 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.
- 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.
How to Make This Recipe
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 these!
- Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala Soup
- Best Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
- Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo on social – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you cook this on high instead of low how long do you think you would keep it on? I accidentally got a late start on putting it in the crock pot!
I Maggie, I made this today and it is coming out great. I put it on the crockpot on high at 5:00 by 7:00 all the meat was cooked so i went ahead and added the rice. i’m waiting for the rice to cook and so i’d say it can be made on high in about 3-4 hours
Hey, I’m making this right now, and i can’t wait till this evening to try it! I bought all my ingredients at trader joe’s this time, and they only had frozen shrimp, so I’m curious how long you think the frozen shrimp may need to cook for. Thanks!
Hi Kadi, Frozen shrimp will probably need an extra 5 minutes or so, or you can thaw the shrimp before adding it to the pot.
Dont add the rice at the 3 hour mark. It will turn to mush. At 5 hour mark or make separately and top.
Very good dinner for a night when I wanted to make a dinner my son really likes, but I knew I would be tired by the time I had to cook dinner. Thanks so much for a dish that pleases the eater but doesn’t over tax the cook.
Followed this recipe and my rice turned out VERY mushy and glutenous. In hindsight, I think 3 hours and 20 or so minutes for the rice to cook was way too long. Next time, I’ll probably serve it over rice, instead.
Hi Megan, did you by chance use instant rice?? Regular long grain white rice shouldn’t turn out overly mushy…
I used white long grain and only cooked it for 1 hour and still turned out mushy and way overcooked I think less chk broth would do the trick
when i first tried thiS recipe in the slow cooker, the rice was mushy. to fix this, I just cooked everything else as normal. I then transferred the cooked food into a large pot and added the uncooked rice to it and cooked it that way. it turned out perfect. The rice won’t take as lon to fully cook.
Awesome! I am excited to hear that you had a great experience with this recipe, Charlotte! Thanks for your input.
So I made this, but the rice came out way overcooked and incredibly mushy. Did anyone else have this issue? Or would it maybe make sense to either throw the rice in closer to the end of the cooking cycle (like the shrimp) or maybe cook separately and serve the jambalaya over the rice?
I had the same issue. I was thinking the same thing as well or even cook the rice separate and add it later.
Well I’m trying this right now, started cooking on low following the recipe as asked. After reading some of the reviews I’ve decided to cook on high for 4 hours and add the rice at the last hour. And will add the shrimp at the last 20 minuets. Rice on its own only needs about 20 minutes or so to cook. Adding it to the mix with such a long time sounds like it doesn’t work well. Keep in mind that not all slow cookers have the same temperature ratio. All the ingredients appeal to my palette and why I thought I’d give it a shot. I’ll post again tomorrow and let you know how it went. Slow cookers rock!
I had the same problem! I’m going to try making it again with less chicken broth and serving it over rice. The flavor is definitely there, just not the texture.
I also had the same issue with the rice. I am going to try it again today without the rice. We will just cook the rice separately and see how that works.
Hi!! Did that work better? How long did you cook the meat in the crockpot for?
I just did mine and was very disappointed in the rice. It taste great but the rice makes me want to throw it away and do a different recipe…ugggh! Think next time I’ll start the rice on the stove for a few and add it to the mix before it cooks all the way to see if that’s better.
Hi Robynne! Was your rice too mushy? And did you use instant/minute rice or regular?
I HAD THE SAME RESULT. mY RICE WAS ACTUALLY VERY DRY SO i ADDED A BIT MORE STOCK AND ENDED UP WITH MUSH. iT WAS ALSO WAY TOO SPICY FOR ME WITH ONLY 2 JALAPENOS BUT i IMAGINE MAYBE THE CAJUN SEASONING I HAVE DID IT.
Did you use long grain rice or instant?
YUM! I used to love jambalaya, but for some reason I haven’t had it in SO long! Seriously need to fix that. Thanks for the recipe!
I cannot wait for Fall weather! And I just got a new slow cooker i’m so ready to break in. Great recipe!
Mushy, orangey-red gloppy messiness is what comfort food is all about!! So I actually find the pictures quite enticing ;D Going on my to-cook list for when the temperatures go down again (the weather has picked up here after a couple of weeks where we were dangerously close to turning the heating on). Oh, and I don’t think I’ve thanked you for inspiring me to buy a slow cooker. BEST.DECISION.EVER. So thank you!!!
Hey girl this looks so tasty! Right up my alley! Yummy!