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.
Remember this recipe.
Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!
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 Cheese Biscuits – copycat recipe from the famous bar-b-q restaurant! Easy and delicious mini cheese…
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
Remember this recipe.
Pin this recipe to your favorite board now to remember it later!
Pin This Recipe
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!
This comment has been removed by the author.
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.
This comment has been removed by the author.
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. :/