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Katie's Cucina » Recipes » Shrimp

Crock Pot Jambalaya

Published: Feb 21, 2023 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links

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Black oval slow cooker with rice, chicken, shrimp with recipe title text on image for Pinterest.
White bowl filled with rice and shrimp with ssilver slow cooker in the background.
White bowl filled with rice, shrimp, and chicken with a silver slow cooker in the background and recipe title text on image for pinterest.
Black oval crock pot with rice and chicken and parsley with recipe titlte text on image for Pinterest.
Rice, sausage, shrimp, and chicken divided by recipe title text on image for Pinterest with a white bowl filled with rice, shrimp, and chicken.
Black oval dish filled with rice, shrimp, and chicken divided by recipe title text on image for Pinterest with a white bowl below.
Rice, sausage, shrimp, and chicken divided by recipe title text on image for Pinterest with a white bowl filled with rice, shrimp, and chicken.

Crock Pot Jambalaya has juicy shredded chicken, shrimp, and andouille sausage mixed with vegetables, Cajun seasoning, and rice that are cooked together in the Crock Pot for the most delicious Jambalaya. This hearty Cajun dinner is fit for a New Orleans king or queen.

White circular bowl filled with rice, shrimp, sausage, and chicken with a slow cooker in the background.

I’ve been making this Crock Pot Jambalaya recipe for over a decade now. Although this is not authentic Louisiana style jambalaya it is delicious and gives you all the flavors you find in Cajun cuisine. I first had authentic jambalaya during a work trip over a decade ago when I was in New Orleans. It was amazing. I went home to work on recreating Jambalaya only (to be honest) very disappointed that it didn’t taste as good as the one in the restaurant I had consumed a week prior.

However, my husband, parents, and in-laws LOVED the recipe. Once my taste-buds forgot about the traditional Jambalaya I was hooked on this recipe. So the moral of the story is, if you are from Louisiana you might not find this recipe super authentic. My jambalaya recipe contains tomatoes, where traditional jambalaya is a brown roux and no tomatoes. If this is your first time eating Jambalaya I think you’ll fall in love with how delicious this recipe is.

Why this Recipe Works

Prep the meat and vegetables ahead of time to save time the morning you want to cook.

This is a 2 part Crock Pot meal. The meat and vegetables cook first, then you add in the rice and shrimp.

Jambalaya in the Crock Pot can feed a large group– which is perfect for entertaining or makes for a delicious lunch the next day.

Ingredients

  • Chicken – I like to use boneless skinless chicken breast but chicken thighs work too.
  • Andoullie Sausage – I find this in the refrigerated meat section.
  • Shrimp – I use frozen shrimp that I thaw. I like the larger shrimp but you can use the smaller salad shrimp.
  • Rice – I use Ben’s Original white rice for this recipe.
  • Vegetables – 1 large can of diced tomatoes with the juice, an onion, bell pepper, and celery is what you’ll need for the base of the Jambalaya.
  • Seasonings – A mix of Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, and oregano are the spices you need. I also like to add in fresh parsley at the end.
  • Hot Sauce – I don’t use much since my kids like to eat the Jambalaya, but a little bit of Louisiana Style Hot Sauce is what I use. If I’m not serving this to the kids I double the hot sauce. I also serve the hot sauce on the side.

How to Make Jambalaya in the Crock Pot

Diced celery, onion, and bell pepper on a cutting board with a knife next to it.
Sausage links with sliced sausage on a wood cutting board.

Prepare the ingredients for the slow cooker, chop the onion, green bell pepper, and celery stalk.

Next, cut the andouille sausage into bite-size pieces. I like to cut them into larger pieces so my kids can pick them out if they want too since the sausage can be on the spicier side.

Black oval slow cooker with diced sausage, onions, tomatoes, and spices.

Place the sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, oregano, cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme.

Oval black dish filled with tomato mixture and 3 chicken breast.
Black oval slow cooker with sausage, onions, peppers, and tomatoes.

Add in the chicken breast. Then mix well until the chicken is covered. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.

Black oval slow cooker with sausage and vegetables.

This is how the jambalaya will look once it’s done cooking. Once the meat is cooked, carefully remove the liquid and reserve to the side.

PRO TIP – I cook the rice in a separate pot, but use as much of the reserved liquid as possible. This will give your rice so much flavor.

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 or chicken broth.

RICE COOKER – I cook my rice in a rice cooker the normal way I normally cook rice.

Female hand pouring cooked rice from a silver pot into a black oval pot.
Black oval dish filled with rice, chicken, and shrimp with parsley on top.

While rice is cooking, stir in the thawed shrimp in the crockpot, cover and cook on high 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.

Recipe FAQs

Oval slow cooker with rice, chicken, and shrimp in it.
What’s the difference between gumbo and jambalaya?

Jambalaya is a stew that is cooked with rice where Gumbo is a thick stew that is served with rice. Both of these meals can have the same spices, and vegetables. The only difference is one is served on top of rice and the other is served with rice mixed in.

Does shrimp belong in jambalaya?

Typically Jambalaya has chicken, sausage, and some seafood like crawfish or shrimp.

What can you substitute for andouille sausage in jambalaya?

If you don’t have or can’t find andouille sausage, you can use a smoked sausage, Italian sausage, or even brat wurst.

Tips & Tricks

White circular bowl filled with shrimp, chicken, and rice with cornbread on the side.

Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks whenever I make Jambalaya.

  • More protein – Want more meat and less rice? Add only 1 cup of rice (with two cups of liquid).
  • Draining Liquid – To drain liquid from slow cooker I use a dry 1 cup measuring cup. Push the food to the side and continue to pull the liquid from the slow cooker and pour into a liquid measuring cup until you have the desired amount needed to cook the rice. It’s okay if the liquid has some of the vegetables and or sausage. You should still have a little bit of liquid left after removing most for the liquid. If you feel that you have too much liquid you can always carefully drain and remove more.
  • Hot Sauce – I use LOUISIANA Hot Sauce brand in this recipe.

What to Serve with Jambalaya

Black oval dish filled with rice, peppers, and chicken.

Wondering what to serve with Jambalaya? Here are a few of my favorite side dishes.

  • Honey Cornbread Muffins
  • Golden Fried Green Tomatoes stacked on a plate with sauce.
    Fried Green Tomatoes with Cajun Ranch Dipping Sauce
  • Square photo of an oval platter on a white countertop with baked croissants on top.
    Honey Butter Crescent Rolls
  • Seasoned Collard greens in a white oval serving dish over a red cloth
    Seasoned Collard Greens

If you make this Slow Cooker Jambalaya recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

Don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and subscribe to my email list!

White bowl filled with rice, shrimp, and sausage with spoon next to it.

Crock Pot Jambalaya

Crock Pot Jambalaya has juicy shredded chicken, shrimp, and andouille sausage mixed with vegetables, Cajun seasoning, and rice that are cooked together in the Crock Pot for the most delicious Jambalaya. This hearty Cajun dinner is fit for a New Orleans king or queen.
4 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course, Slow Cooker
Cuisine: American
Diet: Low Lactose, Low Salt
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 9 hours hours
Total Time: 9 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 346kcal
Author: Katie

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients

  • ½ 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 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 pound frozen peeled shrimp thawed
  • 2 cups white long grain rice
  • Fresh chopped parsley as garnish

Instructions

  • Prepare the ingredients for the slow cooker: dice sausage, chop the onion, green bell pepper, and celery stalk.
  • Place the sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, oregano, cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme. Mix well then add in the chicken breast. Make sure to cover the chicken breast before you begin to cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours OR on HIGH for 4 hours.
  • Once the meat in the slow cooker is done cooking, carefully remove the liquid, and set to the side. (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 about 4 cups liquid. Typically I can get 2 cups of liquid from the crock pot so I'll use an additional 2 cups water or broth.)
  • While rice is cooking, shred chicken and then stir in the thawed shrimp in the crock pot, cover and cook on high until the shrimp are cooked (about 1 hour). Once rice is done mix into the crock pot (this can be while shrimp cooks). Discard bay leaves, add fresh chopped parsley if desired, and serve.

Notes

  • More protein – Want more meat and less rice? Add only 1 cup of rice (with two cups of liquid).
  • Draining Liquid – To drain liquid from slow cooker I use a dry 1 cup measuring cup. Push the food to the side and continue to pull the liquid from the slow cooker and pour into a liquid measuring cup until you have the desired amount needed to cook the rice. It’s okay if the liquid has some of the vegetables and or sausage. You should still have a little bit of liquid left after removing most for the liquid. If you feel that you have too much liquid you can always carefully drain and remove more.
  • Hot Sauce – I use LOUISIANA Hot Sauce brand in this recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 387mg | Potassium: 522mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 368IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @KatieJasiewicz or tag #katiescucina!
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About Katie

Katie is a busy mom of 2 children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don't take hours to cook! She started her blog 10 years ago as a way to help others get cooking in the kitchen.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Vanessa

    July 15, 2014 at 11:56 am

    Katie Hi! I loved this recipe. It turned out great for me twice now! I had to link it to my own cooking blog to share with friends! Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Katie

      July 18, 2014 at 12:14 pm

      Vanessa, I’m glad you enjoyed it and that it turned out fine for you. It’s one of our favorite slow cooker recipes!

  2. Whitney

    June 26, 2014 at 7:04 pm

    This sounds wonderful! Jambalaya is one of my husband’s favorite meals. Question though. Can you just put the raw shrimp in at the beginning? Why must you wait until the end?

    Reply
  3. Meredith

    March 06, 2014 at 11:08 am

    Just made this and it turned out great!!!! Only thing I may change next time is add more meat and use less rice. Otherwise, this will be added to the list of regulars. Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Katie

      June 09, 2014 at 1:45 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it Meredith!

  4. Jessica

    December 17, 2013 at 5:59 pm

    I want to make this tomorrow but was wondering if I need to drain the tomatoes and if I need to use pre cooked shrimp?

    Reply
    • Katie

      December 23, 2013 at 11:47 am

      Hi jessica–sorry I’m just getting to this comment now. No need to drain the tomatoes and you can use raw shrimp. It cooks up fine in the slow cooker. Hope you enjoyed this as much as we do!

  5. Amanda

    November 07, 2013 at 6:51 pm

    Just made this, Sooo yummy! To the people who’s rice came out crunchy, if you followed the directions it will come out perfect. Get 2 cups of the juice from the slow cooker, and two cups of water to that, bring it to a boil, add your 2 cups of rice to boil, cover, an reduce heat to low. Cook rice for about 20 minutes. Add rice to Jambalaya, mix and yum. I let mine cook for an additional 15 mins on low after adding rice. This was seriously some excellent stuff, everyone in my house licked their bowls and asked for seconds!! Thank you for the recipe!!!

    Reply
    • Katie

      November 09, 2013 at 9:25 am

      Amanda I’m so happy to read this! Thank you for giving the recipe a try and I’m so glad that your family and YOU loved this recipe. It’s so good!

  6. Amanda

    October 30, 2013 at 7:12 pm

    Hello, this looks amazing, but I noticed that you said you get about two cups of liquid from it. My question is how do you make it thicker without hurting the taste and quality of the recipe?

    Reply
    • Katie

      October 31, 2013 at 7:46 am

      I use the excess liquid to cook my rice. But if you aren’t cooking rice you can just strain the juice out into a separate container. Heat it on the stove top with a couple tablespoons of cornstarch to thicken it up… add one tablespoon at a time whisking the cornstarch and liquid together until its thick enough for you. Hope that helps!

  7. yvette

    October 28, 2013 at 11:04 am

    Just put everything in the crock pot! Quick question…I want to cook the rice in the crockpot, but should I add any other liquid once I add the rice?

    Reply
    • Katie

      October 29, 2013 at 6:52 am

      Yvette–you typically will have enough liquid to cook the rice within the crock pot. However, I highly advise you cook the rice separately before serving. Cooking times vary when cooking the rice with the rest of the jambalaya. I cook my rice on the side (using as much of the liquid as possible to cook the rice in) and then add it back to the slow cooker.

  8. Catherine

    September 15, 2013 at 9:01 pm

    Do not put rice in crock pot! Mine was one big mush. Followed recipe exactly. It didn’t take 2 hours extra for rice. Rice done in less than hour on low and mush

    Reply
    • Katie

      October 28, 2013 at 7:49 am

      Hi Catherine, sorry to read about our experience. I think it depends on the heating element in your slow cooker. In my slow cooker the rice took 2 hours and it wasn’t mushy at all; however, I’ve found that I enjoy making and eating this when I cook the rice on the side and straining out the liquid from the dish. Then once the rice is done I mix it all into the slow cooker and serve. I hope you’ll try the recipe again with my other option for the rice. It’s a great recipe that I make each month!

  9. laurasmess

    September 03, 2013 at 10:53 am

    This looks delicious Katie! I’ve never made jambalaya before but I’ve heard of it before… sounds a little like paella (which I LOVE!)? I’ll give this a go some time soon. Good to read everyone else’s comments… seems like there’s a lot of variance in people’s cooking experiences. I’m curious to see how it all turns out.

    Reply
    • Katie

      September 03, 2013 at 2:43 pm

      Thanks Laura–yes, its similar to paella, except you don’t cook the rice all day long in the slow cooker (it would turn to mush)! 🙂 Hope you get to try it one day soon.

  10. kjasus

    January 31, 2013 at 5:22 pm

    what about brown rice? can i just add it to the crockpot with everything else and add more liquid?

    Reply
    • Katie

      January 31, 2013 at 8:36 pm

      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.

  11. Carson S.

    January 30, 2013 at 6:58 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Katie

      January 30, 2013 at 10:20 pm

      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.

  12. Melissa

    January 22, 2013 at 8:48 am

    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…

    Reply
    • Katie

      January 22, 2013 at 3:15 pm

      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!

  13. Kate

    January 13, 2013 at 5:33 pm

    Love the recipe! I made it but used ham instead of chicken. No problems with the rice – everything tasted great!

    Reply
    • Katie

      January 13, 2013 at 9:13 pm

      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!

  14. Angie @ Big Bears Wife

    December 06, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Katie

      December 06, 2012 at 1:55 pm

      Thanks Angie. I probably make this recipe at least once a month!

  15. Wenceslao Moreno

    November 12, 2012 at 2:13 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Katie

      November 19, 2012 at 10:05 am

      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.

  16. Rachel

    October 02, 2012 at 8:40 pm

    3 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Katie

      October 15, 2012 at 1:06 pm

      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.

  17. Lamb Animals

    December 20, 2011 at 11:15 am

    I got to try this one out. It seems like a similar version of the chinese dish Chao Fan or rice toppings.

    Reply
  18. Jacqueline

    December 01, 2011 at 12:09 am

    This looks fantastic and your photo is wonderful too. I just love jambalaya.

    Reply
  19. Jessica

    November 30, 2011 at 9:47 pm

    gonna try it 😀

    Reply
  20. Danielle

    November 30, 2011 at 9:18 pm

    Ive made Jambalaya in the crock pot a few times – it always comes out great! Yours looks fantastic.

    Reply
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I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. A busy mom of two children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don’t take hours to cook! My mission is to create easy-to-make modern comfort food for the busy family. (more)

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