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 tried this today and while the flavor is absolutely delicious the rice and when to put it in is not quite right. Also I was unsure what type of rice, whether instant or regular. After reading about the mushy rice I went with regular and it was partially undercooked and I left it in longer trying to fully cook it.
I want to make this for my family but I have small kids who don’t like spicy food can I make it without the Cajun spice and jalapenos?
I’m not sure how everyone is wrecking their rice on this recipe, I haven’t made this yet but have made stuff like it – you just need to consider that rice typically has a 1:2 ratio when it comes to water so whatever your liquid content in this turns out to be, put in half as much rice, doesn’t matter if the recipe calls for a certain amount. If the liquid is too much for that amount, your rice won’t cook right. Too little and it doesn’t finish cooking, too much and it gets mushy. And depending on the can of tomatoes you use/rice type/temp of your crockpot/your measurement skills etc, trying to follow a recipe exactly can vary in results. Keep in mind that if you’re cooking on high, it’s not going to need much more time than the package says anyway. Cooking rice on a low simmer for 3 hours when the package says to do the same for just the rice but for 15-20 minutes… well that probably just won’t work.
Easiest solution is to make the rice in its own pot using the juice from the can of tomatoes and the chicken stock. The rice will come up slightly underdone because the liquid will be a little low, but then stir in the rice during the last 15-20 minutes of cooking in the crockpot. The stuff in the crockpot will sweat enough liquid to keep it cooking just fine and then whala, everything should come together nicely.
What do you mean by greased slow cooker? Oil? I did not see it in the ingredients.
I’m getting ready to make this tomorrow. I have medium grain rice. Will that work or do I need long grain?