It's Mardi Gras time! Chicken Legs and I aren't big Mari Gras people. I've only been to Mardi Gras once. I went with a bunch of sorority sisters when I was in college. We all piled in my Honda Prelude and took a road trip to New Orleans. We stayed in the French Quarter so we were close to the action. I saw things on Bourbon Street that I've never seen before or since. It is truly amazing what people will do for some cheap plastic beads. It was definitely an experience to remember - once was enough for me!
Our current Mardi Gras celebration is much more tame. We just like to make some jambalaya. I thought about making my favorite Creamy Jambalaya Pasta, but then I found a slow cooker jambalaya recipe. It sounded easy so I gave it a try. It turned out to be the best jambalaya ever! We both absolutely loved it.
This was SO easy to make. I mixed everything up in the crockpot insert the night before and threw it in the fridge. I put the insert in the crockpot before I left for work and dinner was ready when I got home. The only thing I had to make was our favorite Cheesy Biscuits.
Slow Cooker Jambalaya
adapted from AllRecipes.com
(Printable Recipe)
approximately 5-6 servings
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
1 pound smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
3 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tsp minced garlic
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
white rice or instant rice (I used 2 packs of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice - Garlic & Butter flavor)
In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, celery, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme. (I do this the night before and put it in the fridge. I put it in the slow cooker before I leave in the morning.)
Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Mix in cooked rice cook for about 15 minutes to warm through.
I love jambalaya!
ReplyDeleteHi Steph, I made this and just blogged about it. Happy Mardi Gras!
ReplyDeleteRocquie
This sounds wonderful. I'm printing it out right now. Thanks!!!
ReplyDeleteAnother really great one! :-)
ReplyDeleteJust put this in my crockpot! Can't wait to eat it tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteDo you think I can make this non-crockpot?!
ReplyDeletePS- WAR EAGLE!!
ReplyDeleteSAM - absolutely. Just let it simmer on the stove until the rice is cooked. War Eagle!
ReplyDeleteI feel dumb asking but just raw chicken or boiled first? I wonder if I could add shrimp too...this looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteReba - the chicken is put in the slow cooker raw. If you do shrimp - put it in about 5-10 minutes before you want to serve it. Shrimp cooks up quick!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I read the comments. I was getting ready to ask about adding shrimp! Thank you for great always good recipes!
DeleteCould I use frozen chicken? And cut or shred before we eat it?
DeleteThank you! That is kind of what I was thinking on the shrimp. I see this in our very near future. :)
ReplyDeleteThis recipe looks delicious! I am going to try it for tonight but wondered if you use raw celery or dried celery flakes. Celery isn't mentioned in the list of ingredients, but you do list it below when mixing everything together. And what amount depending on if it is raw or dried?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
I made this recipe with just a few changes and it turned out awesome!! I featured it on my blog with a link to your recipe. Stop by and check it out.
ReplyDeletehttp://threeyellowlemons.blogspot.com/2011/11/jambalaya-slow-cooker.html
how much rice do you use? uncle bens rice comes in different sizes, so i'm not sure how much to use.
ReplyDeleteDeadbrownie - i use about 4 cups of rice
ReplyDeletesweet, thanks. putting this in the crock pot in the morning!
ReplyDeleteThis looks wonderful! I am looking forward to giving it a try. TY!
ReplyDeleteThis looks fabulous - can't wait to try it! I was just wondering if you could define Cajun seasoning. Is that like Tony Chachere's? Or can you just buy a jar of something called "Cajun seasoning" at the grocery store? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt is both - Tony Chachere works well and I also have a recipe for a homemade cajun seasoning on the blog
ReplyDeleteCajun Seasoning
Soooo yummy! It disappeared fast when we had friends over this past weekend. The only thing I did different was add a couple chopped up peppers. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAny idea on how many calories per serving??
ReplyDeleteThis was delish! Thank you! Love the blog too.
ReplyDeleteI had the same question about the celery, do you use it fresh? and how fine do you chop it if so?
ReplyDeleteI don't see the celery in your ingredients list and I'm guessing you cook the rice and then add it in later as you said? It is kind of unclear.
ReplyDeleteI made this and wrote about it here. I'm not big on cajun flavors, but I loved this. It was a huge hit with the whole family. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe is right up my ally. I also found this recipe for Shrimp Creole that is very tasty. http://www.getcrockingapp.com/blog/shrimp-creole/
ReplyDeleteAre you able to describe how spicy this dish is?
ReplyDeletesldrwfe - I wouldn't say this was spicy. It has a little heat from the cajun seasoning, but this isn't burn your mouth hot
ReplyDeleteMaking this in the morning so don't know if I will get an answer by then. It doesn't seem like there is enough liquid with one cup of broth to cook all day while I'm at work. I guess this is more of a statement
ReplyDeletemhickman - there is also liquid from the tomatoes. It turns out great. You can always add more broth after it cooks if you feel it needs more.
ReplyDeleteJust made this last night for dinner, and it was delicious! Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
ReplyDeleteI have a picky eater in my youngest son, but tonight, he demolished his serving and asked for seconds of this! Thank you for posting such an easy, wonderful recipe. I did end up adding some frozen chopped spinach to the mix just to sneak in some veggies, and it was amazing. All my guys gave it two huge thumbs up, and I have already planned on making this again this month!
ReplyDeleteSame question about the celery?? It's not listed in the ingredients?
ReplyDeleteI would love to make this and am curious about the celery also. How much do you use?
ReplyDeleteOops! I just used one stalk of celery. I'll go add it to the ingredients.
ReplyDeleteWhat size crockpot do you use?
ReplyDeletei found there was alot of grease from the sausage... did yours accumulate grease at the end from the sausage? there is like a layer on top.
ReplyDeletemanda12 - I didn't have any grease. I used butterball smoked turkey sausage.
ReplyDeleteSasha - I have a 6 quart slow cooker.
ReplyDeleteI will be making this recipe for the 3rd time for my family for my Mom's Cajun Christmas Eve. I LOVE this recipe! You can smell it cooking outside :) Looking forward to trying it with her shrimp and grits.
ReplyDeleteI will.be making this tomorrow. I'm going to leave out the tomatoes though. Do you think this will affect it much? I'm just scared there won't be enough liquid?
ReplyDeleteAbbie - I think the tomatoes are important. They give the dish a lot of the flavor. You can use crushed tomatoes if you don't like the chunks. You could also use some tomato juice or tomato sauce if you don't want to use diced tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteSteph, I know the recipe calls for 1 pound chicken breast halves, but can I just use 1/2 pound of chicken breast meat?
ReplyDeleteDars3 - sure! You can add as much or as little of the meat as you like.
ReplyDeleteCan I use regular long or medium grain white rice, rather an an instant rice?
ReplyDeleteBlue Tulip - if you use regular rice, you will need to cook the rice first before adding it to the jambalaya.
ReplyDeleteCan you throw in the instant rice at the last half hour to cook the rice in it?
DeleteI made this for dinner yesterday and it was absolutely delicious. Of course, I realized after we devoured it all that I forgot to put the garlic in. I can only imagine how good it would have been with that. But it definitely was great without it (in case anyone else forgets lol).
ReplyDeleteMade this yesterday, and it was (and as, as I'm eating leftovers as I type) delicious!
ReplyDeleteMy only complaint was that both of the meats seemed a bit overdone. I think next time I will put it in for less time, or throw the meat in halfway through. Do you think that would change anything?
I received a gift certificate for a specialty meat shop from my work for Christmas. I ordered some alligator sausage and when I saw this recipe I had a feeling the alligator would be a perfect substitute for the turkey sausage and I was right. This was excellent and very easy, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteDo you think this could be made with quinoa instead of rice?
ReplyDeleteb - I think it could be made with quinoa. I am not sure how long to cook the quinoa though. I've never made it at home - I've only eaten it out. Let us know how it turns out if you try it.
ReplyDeleteI just made this recipe and it smells delicious, but it has a lot of liquid. Is that normal? The photo you posted doesn't seem to have as much liquid.
ReplyDeleteI made this last night and did exactly what the directions said, but it came out too watery. Was that how it was supposed to be? It doesn't seem to look like that in the picture. :/
ReplyDeleteYay!! I was looking for dinner ideas on Pinterest and this popped up!! Im going to make this super easy and very delish looking meal tonight! Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteJust made this and it was a big hit!! Very good and easy to make! Makes for a great lunch the next day too! Thanks for the recipe!!
ReplyDeleteI'm making this for the first time today, but as I started putting everything in the slow cooker, I discovered that I hadn't bought any celery because it's not on the ingredient list =( Might want to add that! I'm excited to try it though!
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ReplyDeleteYum! Does this freeze well? I'd love to make this on a Sunday and reheat for lunches during the week.
ReplyDeleteTara,
ReplyDeleteI haven't frozen it, but I think it would be fine. You might need to add a touch of water or chicken broth when you reheat it so it doesn't dry out. Let me know how freezing it works. Enjoy!
This is wonderful!! Made it twice already! Very easy and fast. Makes great leftovers also! Thank you!
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ReplyDeleteTracy - so glad you liked it!
ReplyDeleteWell...I made this last Sunday and refridgerated and froze leftovers for the week. It was perfect, and lasted me until Friday. No additional chicken broth or water was needed. The only thing I might do next time is switch out turkey sausage for pork. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIf I use minute rice or Uncle Ben's Ready Rice, do I put the rice in (for the last 15) minutes when it's uncooked? Or do I cook it first and THEN add it? Thanks for your help - love your blog! :)
ReplyDeleteCarrie G - you mix in the rice COOKED. Hope you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I'll LOVE it . . . I'm hungry just thinking about it! :)
ReplyDeleteIf using minute rice, how much should you add?
ReplyDeleteYou need about 4 cups of cooked rice.
Deletemade a variation of this last mardi gras, makin it again tomorrow. I'm gonna add some bacon this time, and no celery ever (even tho celery is listed in the directions on this page but not the ingredients womp wommpp). This is a good recipe, easy to make , nice n spicy! I recommend using andouille sausage and real onion instead of flakes, omnom nom!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow about the recipe for the Cheesy Biscuits? Just saw the episode on Guy's Grocery Games that featured Jambalaya - and I needed to find an easy recipe to do. Going to make this for our out-of-town guests coming later this week.
ReplyDeletethe recipe is linked at the top - click on "Cheesy Biscuits"
DeleteThanks.
DeleteCan I use ground sausage instead? My grocery store didn't have the links sausage
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it with ground sausage. Let us know how it turns out if you try it.
DeleteIs this super spicy? I'm not a big fan of things that are high up on the spice-o-meter! ;) Also, it froze well? I'm in college so I was thinking about making the whole batch and then freezing what was left over so I had less meals to make. One more thing, lol, how big of a crockpot did you use? Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteIt isn't super spicy, but you can leave out the cayenne pepper if you are worried about it. It should freeze really well. I use a 4 or 6 quart crock pot for this.
DeleteVery yummy!!! I made it in my Dutch oven on the stove for a quick dinner and it worked out great!!
ReplyDeleteVery yummy!!! I made it in my Dutch oven on the stove for a quick dinner and it worked out great!!
ReplyDeleteWhat name brand of turkey sausage did you buy?
ReplyDeleteAmber - I bought Butterball
DeleteSoon......Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHow many cups of rice do I use? I don't really care for instant rice. I'm making this for a birthday party. And I just want to make sure I make enough.
ReplyDeleteI used 4 cups of cooked rice
DeleteDo you think four cups of rice with this will feed about 15 guests?
DeleteThis recipe only serves about 5 or 6 people. You would need to triple it to feed 15 people.
DeleteWe've enjoyed this recipe several times since I came across it on Pinterest. Shared a link in a round up of my favorite soup & slow cooker recipes here. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI made it with the chicken only rather than any sausage & it was excellent! Next time I'm adding shrimp. Thanks!
ReplyDelete