Crock Pot Jambalaya
Posted by Katie on Nov 30, 2011 in Chicken, Crock Pot, Main Dish, Rice, Sausage, Seafood, Shrimp | 18 comments
Ever since visiting New Orleans earlier this year I’ve really had a greater appreciation for all cajun food. One in particular. Jambalaya. Last month a coworker and close friend of mine was telling me about this awesome new crock pot recipe she found I knew I had to try it. It had all the ingredients that my husband would love and I really did enjoy eating Jambalaya in New Orleans.
I wasn’t sure about the andouille sausage, but decided to give it a shot. Woah, buddy. It gave the spiciness that this dish deserved! I’ve made this meal a few times now and have found it’s best with the rice cooked in with the meal. It will take an additional 2 hours give or take. Be prepared but know that its well worth the wait. If you get home at 5 your meal is almost done cooking. Add the rice in followed by shrimp and you’ll have dinner on the table by 7. If you aren’t patient and don’t want to eat that late then cook the rice on the side and spoon a generous portion of the jambalaya on top of the rice.
Adapted from: Food Network, Robin Miller
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 pound frozen peeled shrimp, thawed
- 2 cups white long grain rice
- Fresh chopped parsley as garnish.
Directions
- Prepare the ingredients for the crockpot: cut chicken, dice sausage, and chop the onion, green bell pepper, and celery stalk.
- In the crock pot combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.
- Once the contents in the crockpot are done cooking, carefully remove the liquid. You will use this liquid to cook your rice in a separate pot. Cook the rice according to package directions using as much jambalaya liquid as possible; 2 cups rice needs 4 cups liquid. Typically I can get 2 cups of liquid from the crock pot so I'll use an additional 2 cups water. While rice is cooking, stir in the thawed shrimp in the crockpot, cover and cook until the shrimp are cooked (about 30 minutes). Once rice is done mix into the crock pot. Discard bay leaves, add fresh chopped parsley if desired, and serve.
Notes
*If preparing the night before store the crock pot ingredients in a ziplock freezer bag or large tupperware in the refrigerator. *I cook my rice in a rice cooker using as much liquid from the jambalaya as possible. This adds flavor to the rice and makes it taste like its been cooking with the jambalaya for hours.
I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. I’ve always had a love for cooking, and more so in the past few years a love for eating!
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Ive made Jambalaya in the crock pot a few times – it always comes out great! Yours looks fantastic.
gonna try it
This looks fantastic and your photo is wonderful too. I just love jambalaya.
I got to try this one out. It seems like a similar version of the chinese dish Chao Fan or rice toppings.
what kind of rice do you recommend using? I used Whole Foods white long grain (the same rice I use for stove top jambalaya). Unfortunately, your recipe did not appear to include enough liquid to properly cook the rice. I added 16 oz Miller Lite and 2 additional cups of broth and still have crunchy, inedible rice.
Hi Rachel, I’m sorry to read that the recipe didn’t turn out for you. I have used both white long grain rice and basmati. The basmati turns to mush so long grain is the best choice. I’ve never had an issue with not enough liquid. If you add the rice into the crock pot you will need at minimum 2 hours. A quicker alternative is removing the liquid from the cooked jambalaya, add the shrimp to the crock pot (cooking that on high for 30 minutes) and then using the jambalaya liquid to cook your rice on the stove top or in a rice cooker. I’ve done this a few times as well to speed up the rice cooking process. Once the rice is done then I mix it into the crock pot and serve. I hope these few pointers help you achieve a delicious tasting meal.
I had the same problem, with the crunchy rice. It could be a quirk of my slow cooker vs. yours, but it’s not worth the risk. Cook the rice on the side, and dump it in with the shrimp. Such a shame. I’m pretty peeved, but, hey. I could eat it, but it was far from desired. Other than the unpleasantness, it is tasty. I doubled the cajun spice and hot sauce, too, but that’s me.
Hi Wenceslao, I’m sorry to read you had challenges with this recipe. I make it at least once a month for my family and we all enjoy the recipes. I’ve since made adjustments to the recipe. I almost always cook the rice separately utilizing the liquids from the crock pot. This gives the rice the additional flavoring yet it cooks quick (using a stove top or rice cooker method). I love to read when people adapt recipes. Every recipes is just based on taste and preference. If you like heat–kick it up a notch with additional hot sauce! I hope you’ll give this recipe a try again using my updated recipe.
I’ve never attempted this in a crock-pot but I love anything kind of meal that can be adapted into a slowcooker one! I’ll have to give it a try with the rice and without. Looks good, Katie!
Thanks Angie. I probably make this recipe at least once a month!
Love the recipe! I made it but used ham instead of chicken. No problems with the rice – everything tasted great!
Kate–I’m so glad to read you enjoyed this recipe. I make this once a month–it’s always a favorite in our house!
Sounds delicious! Silly question, but do you cook the sausage first? Or will it cut nicely before cooking? I haven’t cooked often with sausage…
Hi Melissa, I make this recipe once a month! Yes, the fresh sausage cuts very easily. I always like to use a serrated knife, but any sharp knife will do. The texture of the raw andouille sausage is similar to a hot dog. Hope that helps!
I just made this tonight and it was delicious. To solve the rice problem though I used left-over rice I had already cooked and just mixed it in at the last minute and let the rice warm up. Worked perfectly, just if you want a thicker Jambalaya I’d recommend putting less chicken broth than is called for.
Carson, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Yes, you could definitely just mix in leftover rice (and drain some of the excess liquid from the crock pot). Thank you for taking the time out to leave a comment. It is much appreciated.
what about brown rice? can i just add it to the crockpot with everything else and add more liquid?
Hi Kjasus, I have never tried this recipe with brown rice. I would safely say that you should cook it separately and add some of the crock pot juices to the rice that is cooking. Then mix the cooked rice in with the Jambalaya (draining any excess liquid in the crock pot). Good luck and if you make it with brown rice I would love to hear how it turned out.