Slow Cooker Jambalaya – a Mardi Gras staple! Easy to make and tastes great! Chicken, smoked sausage, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, cajun seasoning, and rice – this is THE BEST! Cooks all day in the slow cooker. Can add bell peppers and shrimp. Use cauliflower rice for a low-carb meal.
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Pin This RecipeEasy Slow Cooker Jambalaya Recipe
This Slow-Cooker Jambalaya Recipe is one of our favorite slow cooker recipes. It is super easy to make and has SO much flavor! Chicken, adouille sausage, and rice slow cooked all day in tomatoes and bold spices. I wanted to lick the bowl! This dish had the perfect amount of cajun flavor! It’s not too spicy, but it definitely had a little kick to it from the cajun spice mix. This easy recipe has quickly earned a spot on our favorite weeknight dinners list. You must add this to your menu. Your taste buds will thank you!
What is Jambalaya?
Traditional jambalaya is a Cajun dish made with meat, vegetables, and rice. Most commonly it consists of smoked andouille sausage, chicken, pork, and seafood (shrimp or crawfish), sauteed green bell pepper, onion, and celery (holy trinity vegetables), and white rice. Everything cooks together in the same pot for an easy and flavorful recipe.
How to Make Slow Cooker Jambalaya
This Creole dish is effortless to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook sliced sausage until starting to brown. Place sausage in the crock pot. Add chopped boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced tomatoes, onion, chicken stock, oregano, parsley, garlic, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW heat. Stir in hot cooked rice and enjoy.
Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions
- You can use any cooked rice that you prefer. Long grain rice, Instant white rice, brown rice, Louisiana popcorn rice or cauliflower rice all work great.
- This is a great base recipe. Feel free to add onions, green bell pepper, or red pepper are all delicious.
- I use a combination of chicken and sausage in this dish.
- You can use any chicken you prefer. Chicken breasts, boneless skinless chicken thighs, or chicken tenderloins all work great.
- Can use smoked sausage, smoked turkey sausage, or andouille sausage.
- Feel free to toss in some large shrimp in the last hour of cooking.
- What is Cajun seasoning? It is a combination of paprika, salt, garlic, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme.
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Creole Seasoning: https://www.plainchicken.com/creolecajun-seasoning-secret-recipe/
- My favorite store-bought Cajun/Creole seasoning is Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. It also comes in a salt-free version.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
What to Serve with Crockpot Jambalaya Rice
This jambalaya is a cajun favorite! It is a must for any upcoming Mardi Gras celebrations! We serve this rice dish with our favorite Cheesy Biscuits. Throw in a salad and some King Cake Bites and you are set! Give this a try ASAP! It is sure to become a family favorite recipe!
Here are a few of our favorite recipes from the blog that go great with this delicious rice:
Creole Green Beans
Creole Green Beans Recipe – transform canned green beans into something amazing! Green beans, bacon, onion, green pepper, brown sugar,…
King Cake Bubble Up
King Cake Bubble Up – We loved this!! Cinnamon rolls, eggs, milk, vanilla and cream cheese. Ready in 30 minutes.…
Better than Jim ‘N Nick’s Cheesy Biscuits
Better than Jim ‘N Nick’s Cheesy Biscuits – delicious and easy mini cheese biscuits – I ate WAY too many…
Green Jacket Salad
Green Jacket Salad – original recipe from the Green Jacket restaurant in Augusta. SO simple and it tastes great! Lettuce,…
Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Ingredients:
- 1 lb andouille sausage or smoked sausage sliced
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes undrained
- 3 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 3 to 4 cups cooked rice
Instructions:
- Brown sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Place cooked sausage in the slow cooker.
- Add chopped chicken, diced tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, and broth. Stir in oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme.
- 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.
Notes:
- You can use any cooked rice that you prefer. Long grain rice, Instant white rice, brown rice, Louisiana popcorn rice or cauliflower rice all work great.
- This is a great base recipe. Feel free to add onions, green bell pepper, or red pepper are all delicious.
- I use a combination of chicken and sausage in this dish.
- You can use any chicken you prefer. Chicken breasts, boneless skinless chicken thighs, or chicken tenderloins all work great.
- Can use smoked sausage, smoked turkey sausage, or andouille sausage.
- Feel free to toss in some large shrimp in the last hour of cooking.
- What is Cajun seasoning? It is a combination of paprika, salt, garlic, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme.
- Here is our recipe for Homemade Creole Seasoning: https://www.plainchicken.com/creolecajun-seasoning-secret-recipe/
- My favorite store-bought Cajun/Creole seasoning is Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. It also comes in a salt-free version.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Steph
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How long would i cook this on the stove and would I need to make any other adjustments? Thank you!
Do I use frozen chicken or unthaw chicken? Thanks
I used thawed chicken and cut it into bite-sized pieces. You can use frozen chicken and shred it after it has cooked.
I live alone so I have quartered the recipe, was wondering about the celery lucky I read the posts, I am going to add garlic prawns ( as we call them here in the great land of Aus ) about 5 minute before I tuck into this tonight I also didn't have any Turkey sausage but I am using Kransky instead … I'm sure it will be sensational … Thanks for the Recipe
Can this be made in a electric pressure cooker?
Thanks
Can this be made in the Electric Pressure Cooker??
Thanks!
I made it with the chicken only rather than any sausage & it was excellent! Next time I'm adding shrimp. Thanks!
We'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!
How 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.
I used 4 cups of cooked rice
Do you think four cups of rice with this will feed about 15 guests?
This recipe only serves about 5 or 6 people. You would need to triple it to feed 15 people.
Soon……Thanks!
What name brand of turkey sausage did you buy?
Amber – I bought Butterball
Very yummy!!! I made it in my Dutch oven on the stove for a quick dinner and it worked out great!!
Very yummy!!! I made it in my Dutch oven on the stove for a quick dinner and it worked out great!!
Is 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!!
It 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.
Can I use ground sausage instead? My grocery store didn't have the links sausage
I've never tried it with ground sausage. Let us know how it turns out if you try it.
How 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.
the recipe is linked at the top – click on "Cheesy Biscuits"
Thanks.
made 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!!!!
If using minute rice, how much should you add?
You need about 4 cups of cooked rice.
I'm sure I'll LOVE it . . . I'm hungry just thinking about it! 🙂
Carrie G – you mix in the rice COOKED. Hope you enjoy it!
If 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! 🙂
When I make this, I put the instant rice in uncooked. This ensures that it soaks up some of the excess liquid. Jambalaya is not supposed to be soup-like. I know this comment is 8 years old but maybe it will help someone!
Well…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!
Tracy – so glad you liked it!
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This is wonderful!! Made it twice already! Very easy and fast. Makes great leftovers also! Thank you!
Tara,
I 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!
Yum! Does this freeze well? I'd love to make this on a Sunday and reheat for lunches during the week.
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I'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!
Just 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!!
Yay!! 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 🙂
I 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. :/
I 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.
b – 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.
Do you think this could be made with quinoa instead of rice?
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!
Made this yesterday, and it was (and as, as I'm eating leftovers as I type) delicious!
My 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 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).
Blue Tulip – if you use regular rice, you will need to cook the rice first before adding it to the jambalaya.
Can you throw in the instant rice at the last half hour to cook the rice in it?
Can I use regular long or medium grain white rice, rather an an instant rice?
Dars3 – sure! You can add as much or as little of the meat as you like.
Steph, I know the recipe calls for 1 pound chicken breast halves, but can I just use 1/2 pound of chicken breast meat?
Abbie – 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.
I 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?
I 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.
Sasha – I have a 6 quart slow cooker.
manda12 – I didn't have any grease. I used butterball smoked turkey sausage.
i 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.
What size crockpot do you use?
Oops! I just used one stalk of celery. I'll go add it to the ingredients.
I would love to make this and am curious about the celery also. How much do you use?
Same question about the celery?? It's not listed in the ingredients?
I 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!
Just made this last night for dinner, and it was delicious! Thanks for another fabulous recipe!
mhickman – 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.
Making 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
sldrwfe – I wouldn't say this was spicy. It has a little heat from the cajun seasoning, but this isn't burn your mouth hot
Are you able to describe how spicy this dish is?
I 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.
I 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.
I had the same question about the celery, do you use it fresh? and how fine do you chop it if so?
This was delish! Thank you! Love the blog too.
Any idea on how many calories per serving??
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!
This 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!
This looks wonderful! I am looking forward to giving it a try. TY!
sweet, thanks. putting this in the crock pot in the morning!
Deadbrownie – i use about 4 cups of rice
how much rice do you use? uncle bens rice comes in different sizes, so i'm not sure how much to use.
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.
http://threeyellowlemons.blogspot.com/2011/11/jambalaya-slow-cooker.html
This 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?
Thanks so much!
Thank you! That is kind of what I was thinking on the shrimp. I see this in our very near future. 🙂
Reba – 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!
I'm so glad I read the comments. I was getting ready to ask about adding shrimp! Thank you for great always good recipes!
Could I use frozen chicken? And cut or shred before we eat it?
I feel dumb asking but just raw chicken or boiled first? I wonder if I could add shrimp too…this looks delicious!
SAM – absolutely. Just let it simmer on the stove until the rice is cooked. War Eagle!
PS- WAR EAGLE!!
Do you think I can make this non-crockpot?!
Just put this in my crockpot! Can't wait to eat it tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
Another really great one! 🙂
This sounds wonderful. I'm printing it out right now. Thanks!!!
Hi Steph, I made this and just blogged about it. Happy Mardi Gras!
Rocquie
I love jambalaya!