Slow Cooker Jambalaya

This slow cooker jambalaya is one of those meals that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but really your slow cooker did all the work.

It’s loaded with chicken, andouille sausage, and shrimp, plus all the classic Cajun flavors you’d expect from a good jambalaya.

Everything cooks low and slow so the flavors really come together. The rice gets stirred in toward the end so it comes out perfectly tender without getting mushy.

If you’ve been looking for a solid jambalaya recipe that doesn’t require babysitting a pot on the stove, this is the one.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Three Proteins in One Pot – You get chicken thighs, andouille sausage, and shrimp all in a single dish, which means every bite is packed with a different flavor and texture that keeps things interesting from start to finish.

True Set-It-and-Forget-It Dinner – The slow cooker does the heavy lifting for 5 to 6 hours while you go about your day, and then you only need about 45 minutes of attention at the end to stir in the rice and shrimp.

The Rice Cooks Right in the Pot – Instead of making rice separately and dirtying another pan, the long grain white rice goes straight into the slow cooker and soaks up all that spicy, meaty broth so every grain is loaded with flavor.

Perfectly Cooked Shrimp Every Time – Adding the shrimp in the last 10 to 15 minutes means they come out tender and juicy instead of rubbery, which is a problem a lot of jambalaya recipes run into.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 12 oz Andouille Sausage, sliced into rounds
• 1 lb Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 14.5 oz Diced Tomatoes (1 can)
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 large Green Bell Pepper, diced
• 1 medium Yellow Onion, diced
• 3 stalks Celery, diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
• 1 tsp Dried Thyme
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1.5 cups Long Grain White Rice
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• 3 Green Onions, sliced

Directions

Step 1

Place the chicken thigh pieces, sliced andouille sausage, diced onion, green bell pepper, celery, and minced garlic in the slow cooker.

Step 2

Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, cajun seasoning, dried thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves. Stir everything together and season with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender.

Step 4

Stir in the long grain white rice. Cover and cook on high for 25 to 30 minutes, until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid.

Step 5

Add the shrimp on top of the jambalaya. Cover and cook on high for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.

Step 6

Remove and discard the bay leaves. Fluff the rice gently with a fork and taste for seasoning.

Step 7

Serve the jambalaya in bowls garnished with sliced green onions.

Pro Tips

Add the Shrimp Last

Shrimp cook really fast, and they turn rubbery and chewy if they sit in the slow cooker too long. That is why the recipe adds them at the very end for just 10 to 15 minutes.

Do not be tempted to toss them in earlier with the chicken and sausage. Even an extra 5 minutes can overcook them.

You will know they are done when they curl into a C shape and turn pink all the way through. If they curl into a tight O shape, they have gone too far.

Don’t Lift the Lid When the Rice Is Cooking

Once you stir in the rice and put the lid back on, leave it alone for the full 25 to 30 minutes. Every time you lift the lid, steam escapes and the temperature drops, which means the rice will not cook evenly and could end up crunchy in spots.

If you are worried about it sticking or burning, just give everything a really good stir right before you add the rice so the liquid is evenly distributed. That one stir is enough.

Brown the Sausage First

This is not in the instructions, but it makes a big difference. Take a couple minutes to brown the andouille slices in a hot skillet before adding them to the slow cooker. You do not need oil since the sausage has enough fat on its own.

Browning gives the sausage a slight crisp on the outside and brings out a deeper, smokier flavor that carries through the whole dish. Without it, the sausage can taste a little soft and bland after hours in the slow cooker.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Chili
• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
• Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use regular smoked sausage instead of andouille?

Yes, you can use regular smoked sausage like kielbasa if you can’t find andouille. Just keep in mind that andouille has a spicier, smokier kick that really defines the flavor of jambalaya, so you might want to bump up the cajun seasoning and cayenne a little to compensate.

If you can find a spicy smoked sausage variety, that will get you closer to the real deal without having to hunt down andouille specifically.