Jambalaya is such great comfort food, full of flavor and healthy ingredients. Ā Here is a thoroughly “no-fuss” version of this Southern classic dish.Ā (You can also check out our traditional Jambalaya.)Ā Just throw everything in the slow cooker, add in the last two ingredients 15 minutes before serving, and you’re done! Ā The slow cooker does the rest while you’re at work, running errands, or taking care of other things around the house.
Once you open that slow cooker, be prepared to swoon from the wonderful aroma!
It doesn’t get any easier than this. Ā A couple of weeks ago we decided spur-of-the-moment to have my family over for dinner after church. Ā I had 30 minutes to figure out what to throw in the slow cooker so it could cook while we were at church and be ready by the time we got home. Ā I had just bought some andouille sausage the day before so that made the decision easy: Ā A slow cooker jambalaya. Ā I grabbed several bell peppers (love all the colors) and started throwing ingredients into the slow cooker. Ā I quickly made a batch of my Homemade Creole SeasoningĀ and added it to the mix. Ā When we got home and I opened the lid….heaven! Ā The aroma and flavor outcome of this slow-cooked jambalaya is wonderful!
We all sat down to a fabulous, fuss-free meal and the compliments were still pouring in later that evening as my family said goodbye.
If you like jambalaya, give this super easy version a try – you’ll love it!
Let’s get started!
Add the chicken, sausage, onion, celery and bell peppers to the slow cooker.
Whip up a batch of this fantastic Homemade Creole Seasoning. Ā This seasoning really makes all the difference in this jambalaya!
Add the diced tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, salt, chicken broth, and the Homemade Creole Seasoning. Ā Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
Stir in the rice and shrimp (I didn’t use shrimp this time) and cook for another 15 minutes.
Serve immediately. Ā Enjoy!
You may also want to try these other two version of Jambalaya: Ā Another fast but non-slow cooker version, and the traditional New Orleans Jambalaya.
Weeknight Jambalaya (click for recipe)
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New Orleans JambalayaĀ This is the traditional, authentic version (click for recipe)
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- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into chunks
- 1 pound andouille or other flavorful sausage, sliced
- ½ pound cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1-2 cups chicken broth (see NOTE)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons Homemade Creole Seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- Hot sauce, according to heat preference
- 2 cups cooked rice
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker except for the shrimp and rice. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Stir in the rice and shrimp and cook for another 15 minutes. Add salt and hot sauce to taste. Serve immediately.
Ā
Stacy Traver says
This was amazing! The spices were perfect, and didn’t think it needed the hot sauce. My husband and I loved it. I will make this again in the future.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Stacy, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it, thank you!
John Barnett says
Dear Kimberly, I hate to be difficult but in your response to Mallory’s question as to whether the rice for the slow cooked version should be cooked or uncooked, your response was “Uncooked”.
I feel sure you meant “Cooked” because I have made your recipe on numerous occasions and loved it and have always added cooked rice in the last 15 minutes as the recipe states.
John.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi John, you are so right, I was confusing it with my regular Jambalaya recipe. Thanks for the correction and my apologies, Mallory!
Mallory says
Is the rice that is added to the dish supposed to be cooked or uncooked??
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mallory, it’s uncooked.
Anonymous says
Iām worried about the rice not cooking in the time allotted. Also can I increase the serving size and still cook it for the same time?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
White rice will have no problem cooking in the allotted time. Yes, if you double up on the ingredients you’ll still cook it for the same amount time.
Pauline Ungless says
I’m not a fan of the spiced sausages, is there anything else I could use instead or could it just be left out.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Pauline, the sausage is one of the most important components of jambalaya, contributing much of the flavor. If by spiced you mean spicy/hot, you can use any mild sausage of your choosing.
Taylor says
I see that it says it serves 4-6. Could I double the ingredients with the same cook time or would I have to modify it ?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Taylor, yes, you can double it and the cook time will remain the same.
Kristin says
Did you use one or two cups of broth for the one you have pictured? Just to decide if that’s the thicker or soupier version. Just prepped all my ingredients to cook tomorrow!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Good question, Kristin – I don’t remember! I *think* I used one cup for that particular batch, but don’t hold me to it :)
Josh Hillie says
My wife recently made this and it is amazing! Eating it for lunch all week at work and making my colleagues jealous. Can you tell me how many calories are in this dish?
Thanks,
Josh
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Josh, I’m glad to hear it, thank you! I don’t know how many calories are in this but there are several sites, like fitday.com and caloriecount.com, where you can enter all the ingredients and quantities and it generates a complete nutritional breakdown for you in seconds.
Kristen says
What if I wanted to add shrimp…when would I put that in?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kirsten, stir those in during the last 30 minutes. Happy cooking!
Audrey says
Just to clarify this recipe uses raw chicken and sausage right?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Audrey, yes, raw chicken and the sausage is usually pre-cooked. If not, raw sausage is fine, too.
Diane says
Looks fantastic! What size of slow cooker do you use?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Diane! I have two slow cookers that I use regularly – the one in the picture is 7 quarts and my other one is 6 quarts. Either size works fine for this recipe.
Joe says
Nice. Thank you so much. Can’t wait to try more of your dishes.
Joe says
Hi Kimberly, my wife and I love your recipe! Thank you so much. Question for this dish. We don’t have a slow cooker, can we cook it in a pot instead? How should the cooking time be adjusted?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Joe, thank you! This version is adapted for the slow cooker specifically. For the stovetop I would recommend this classic (and still quick) version: Classic Jambalaya. Happy cooking!
Analisa says
Can you use fresh ttomatoes and tomato juice instead of canned plus broth?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Analisa, absolutely! Happy cooking!
Jennifer says
Are there any alternatives for andouille sausage? I eat only halal and can’t really find much outside of their merguez, chicken hotdogs. Also chicken broth. . . I can’t find any in a box that is halal. What are your suggestions?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jennifer! Yes, merguez or any kind of flavorful sausage will do the job. You can also use vegetable broth (either the dried bouillon and add water or already prepared broth). Also, I’ve added links in this recipe post to my two other versions of Jambalaya – you can look through all three and take your pick.
Nathan Cusick says
I recently found your site when searching for “homemade chorizo” (which is in the fridge for day two) and found this jambalaya recipe. I made it yesterday for the family and it was a huge hit. Thanks for the recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Nathan, so happy to hear that, thank you!