There are countless slow cooker jambalaya recipes across our wonderful, worldwide web. To my dismay, none of them resembled the Jambalaya I’m used to. You know I had to change that! Growing up in Southern Louisiana, I’ve had my share of bowls of the best Jambalaya! The Jambalaya I’m accustomed to isn’t red. It’s more brown based. Instead of a soup being served over rice like Gumbo, our version is comprised of rice. It’s spicy goodness and I have to show to how it’s done in my neck of the woods!
All in the Seasoning
The heart of this recipe is the spiced broth! I like to start by blooming spices in chicken broth. I pour the broth in the bottom of my Crock-Pot, then pile on the spices! I do this because I do not season the actual chicken pieces. I solely rely on the broth to flavor the chicken. Works like a charm!
Release the Grease
Since we’re using a slow cooker, it’s impossible to achieve those nice crisp edges on our sausage coins. We have to brown them a bit before adding them in. You can do this by sautéing them on the stove. Or, popping them in the oven for a few minutes. I choose the oven. This will also reduce the amount of added grease in our dish from the sausages.
Ditch the Fork
Down here, we shred the chicken after it’s cooked. An easy way to do this is to dump the chicken into a stand mixer and let it rip! 30 seconds of mixing will yield perfectly shredded bird. No more forks!
Parboiled Rice is the Trick
Parboiled rice…I’ll give my beginner cooks a chance to google it. Got it? Cool. This is what I like to call “Jambalaya Rice”. The worst kind of situation is to have gummy rice in this dish. It’s not the business! Parboiled rice is also great to use in any slow cooker recipes containing rice. It’s cooks beautifully in Crock-Pots.
Don’t Forget the Shrimp
I totally did this initially. Prepared the dish and became so excited with the outcome that I forgot to incorporate the shrimp! It’s really perfect without the shrimp for those with allergies. You won’t miss it. But, my seafood lovers should definitely add in the shrimp!
Now, this is good ole Southeast, Louisiana Jambalaya!
Happy Cooking,
B. Coop
Crock-Pot Jambalaya Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 lb smoked sausage browned*
- 1 lb large peeled raw shrimp
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 bell pepper finely diced
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- 1 TBS minced garlic
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 TBS Cajun or Creole seasoning
- 2 TBS paprika
- 1 TBS onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 TBS Italian seasoning
- 1 TBS tomato paste
- 2 cups parboiled rice**
- Fresh parsley to garnish
- Nonstick cooking spray
Instructions
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Spray the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray
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Pour in the chicken broth
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Add in the Cajun seasoning, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
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Stir in the garlic and tomato paste
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Add the chicken thighs
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Add in the onion, bell pepper, celery, and smoked sausage
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Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or on LOW for 4-5 hours.
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Remove the chicken and shred it.
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Return the chicken back into the slow cooker
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Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
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Stir in the rice
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Cover and continue cooking on HIGH for 1 hour or on LOW for 2 hours.
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Stir in the shrimp.
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Cover and cook for an additional 20 minutes on HIGH or until the shrimp are fully cooked
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Stir and fluff.
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Garnish with fresh, chopped parsley
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Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*To brown the sausage, place it into a shallow pan and bake on 375°F for 10 minutes.
**Using long grain white rice will alter the timing and texture. Parboiled rice is recommended for this dish.
