Easy Slow Cooker Jambalaya with sausage, chicken, and shrimp and bold spices takes just 5 minutes of prep. It's healthy comfort food for the whole family!
Father's Day is coming up, and I wanted to make my husband food fit for a king.
In my house, food fit for a king means one thing: seafood.
Joe loves seafood. Crabs, scallops, clams, shrimp, fish. He loves it all.
In preparing to write this post, I asked him what I could make him for a special Father's Day feast.
"Uh, I dunno," he answered.
Every single time I asked.
I thought about making him a seafood stew, but I wasn't sure I could handle it. Seafood isn't really my thing, and all that aroma would make me gag.
Then I remembered that Joe likes jambalaya.
There is a restaurant here that serves a spicy jambalaya over rice, and it is the only thing Joe ever eats when we go there. He savors every bite, and he always saves half of it for later.
Jambalaya!
It sounded easy enough, and it wouldn't have a super fishy smell. Another of the reasons that I picked jambalaya is that I could use a can of pre-cooked chicken, smoked kielbasa, and frozen shrimp for super quick, tasty comfort food.
It turned out perfectly. Joe loved it, and the rest of us picked out what we liked and left the smelly parts for him to eat later, which he did.
How to Make Easy Slow Cooker Jambalaya
There is virtually no prep in this easy recipe.
- Slice the sausage into coins and shred the chicken.
- Add the sausage, chicken, tomatoes, onion, pepper, broth, wine, and spices to the crock of the slow cooker. Set to low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Add the shrimp and cook for an additional 30 minutes on high, until the shrimp is heated through.
- While the shrimp is heating, prepare rice according to the package directions. We like basmati rice, but there are also Cajun rice blends (is the brand name Zataran's or something like that?) at the grocery store that would work well with the flavors of the jambalaya.
Recipe
Spicy Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 can chicken shredded
- 1 pounds smoked sausage sliced
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped
- ½ cups chicken broth
- ½ cups white wine
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 3 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning you can make your own with this recipe
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 pounds frozen cooked shrimp
Instructions
- Combine everything except shrimp in a large slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Add shrimp and cook an additional 30 minutes, until heated through.
- Serve over your favorite rice.
Lori E says
Well I do love meat but I detest shellfish. I can't even wash the pot it has been cooked in and when at a restaurant with my guy who loves it I usually eat with my hand up by my nose to block the smell. Ugh. Only shellfish though because I like salmon, halibut etc.
My 24 year old son can't eat meat if he sees it in the raw state first. If he sees our medium cooked steaks he can't eat his well done one.
DonnaR says
I'm gonna try this. Thanks!
Gabrielle says
Sounds like a wonderful meal, but I could not call it jambalaya with a clear conscience. My husband and I are from South Louisiana, and he is from the self-proclaimed Jambalaya Capital. Jambalaya is never served over rice. It IS the rice (and meat, etc.). There's no "sauce" with jambalaya. That said, I'm sure it's a wonderful meal.
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
Really? What do you mean, it IS the rice? Is the rice cooked in it?
Also, for authentic jambalaya, do you cook it until the sauce is gone? Do you not add any liquid?
I've never seen jambalaya without a sauce and not served over rice, but I'm from Pennsylvania where we have our own version of just about everything. 😉
Tara @ Feels Like Home says
Thank you so much for the explanation! Would it be jambalaya if I put the rice in the slow cooker at the beginning?
Monique says
Hi I am also a native of South La. Yes, rice is cooked with all of your ingredients in an authentic jambalaya and we traditionally use andouille sausage. You definitely don't cook it until the sauce is gone, don't want it to be dry. The more Creole version uses tomatoes where as Cajun version doesn't. Your recipe still looks great!