During chilly months, I fix this jambalaya at least once a month. It’s so easy…just chop the vegetables, dump everything in the slow cooker and forget it!
Slow Cooker Jambalaya
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless (skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used 1 1/2 pounds))
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (plus additional for seasoning)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (plus additional for seasoning)
- 2 celery stalks (diced)
- 1 bell pepper (stemmed, seeded, and diced)
- 1 small onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth (I suggest adding less, to taste)
- 1 14.5- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or hot sauce (to taste)
- 1/2 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined (I used 1 pound))
- 3 cups hot cooked brown rice
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sausage, season to taste with salt and black pepper, and cook, stirring once, until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a slow cooker, reserving the oil in the pan. (I did this cooking in the same dutch oven I finished cooking the dish in. At this point I removed the chicken temporarily)
- Add the celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker. (Or, if you’re using a dutch oven on the stove to cook this, return the chicken to the dutch oven.) Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and Tabasco sauce. (I suggest adding the broth last, and adding only as much as you need. The full quart made this very soupy.) Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours. (I cooked mine on the stove, uncovered, until it enough liquid evaporated for my preference, then continued cooking on low, covered. Total time was about 3 hours)
- Once the jambalaya is cooked, turn off the slow cooker and skim away any extra oil on the surface. (Since I didn’t include the sausage, there was very little fat on mine.) Add the shrimp and stir until pink. The residual heat will suffice to cook the shrimp. If desired, add more salt, black pepper, and Tabasco sauce. Serve the jambalaya over hot cooked rice or with bread.
