Jambalaya is as fun to eat as it is difficult to spell. I swear, I typed it about 7000 times while creating this post, and I’ve only spelled it correctly once. It’s all of the “a”s; they throw me off. Spell check earned its keep today!
I made this jambalaya on a day the kids had an evening birthday party to attend, assuming it would be too spicy for them, or that they would turn their noses up at all of the bell peppers and onions mixed into the delicious tomato sauce. They filled up on pizza and ice cream cake while I bragged to my friends that I had Crock Pot jambalaya waiting for me at home.
After the party, we raced home, taking back roads and quick turns to shake the line of cars trying to follow us home for dinner, and the smell that awaited us was exactly what I’d hoped it would be – spicy, fragrant, and mouthwatering.
The kids must have thought so, too, because they raised their eyebrows when I suggested they had already eaten their dinner. They demanded bowls of their own, although I strongly suspect their motives were solely for the sausage and shrimp. My first clue was when my five-year-old said, “Can mine just be shrimp?”, and then her seven-year-old brother piggybacked that with “Yeah! Can I just have sausage?”
No, and no.
This Crock Pot jambalaya (I spelled it right that time!) was a winner, and while it isn’t the same, it reminds me of how much we loved the Crock Pot shrimp boil from last summer.
If you’re feeding children, you may want to cut back on the red pepper a bit, and save the hot sauce for individual bowls. If it’s only adults at your table, go to town on the spice and chase your jambalaya with a cold beer. And invite me over.
Crock Pot Jambalaya
Crock Pot Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 lb smoked sausage, cut to ¼-inch rounds
- 4 celery ribs, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes with chiles, undrained
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 TBSP parsley flakes
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp hot sauce, to taste
- 1 cup uncooked instant rice
- 1 lb uncooked frozen shrimp
- green onion for garnish
Instructions
- Place chicken and sausage in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Top with celery, garlic, onion, and bell pepper.
- Next add spices.
- Then top with diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken stock, and give it all a good stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 6--8 hours.
- About 30 minutes before cook time is up, stir the jambalaya and shred the chicken.
- Add the hot sauce to taste. You may need more or less than 1 tsp, depending on your spice preferences.
- Add in uncooked instant rice and frozen shrimp and stir it well.
- Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes, until the shrimp is no longer translucent, and the rice is cooked.
- Top with green onions and enjoy!
Notes
Linda
This was soo good! I made it with the frozen chicken breast, for 8 hours, then added the shrimp, then the cooked rice. I did not need any additional hot sauce. It is probably too spicy for kids as it is. The flavors were amazing. It was a fun crockpot dinner.
Kim
5 stars! Everyone slurped this up, even the kids. I opted to use instant rice and added with about 20-30 minutes left. Worked great! To make it more kid friendly, I reduced the cayenne pepper just a bit. Awesome flavor! A definite make again...and again.
Sarah
This is a new top 5 crock for me! Amazing! Soo good, just a little spicy and hit the spot for both hubby and myself! I cooked jasmine rice and added it when I added the shrimp! A total must have in my opinion! I did not add the hot sauce. Didn't feed it to the kids but probably could of. Mine don't mind a little spice.
Me
This was a hit over here, too. My daughter loved the shrimp, my son loved the sausage and rice, and my husband and I just dug the entire dish. The kids skipped the hot sauce, and we adults used it on our individual servings.
Am I missing it? How many does this serve?