Slow Cooker Jambalaya

This probably is the worst photo ever for this wonderfully delicious dish. I found this recipe for slow cooker jambalaya over at one of my favorite blogs, Plain Chicken.  Had I been thinking, I would have waited a week to make this.  So, instead of making it to eat on Fat Tues, I'm writing about it today so that YOU can make it tomorrow!  See, my lack of planning is working in your favor.  Aint it nice when things work out that way?

Not only is this dish easy, it is a people pleaser.  The house was filled with this mouth watering aroma all day long.  Normally I'm not big on cajun or creole flavors, but the smell of this dish made even me drool.

Of course Mrblocko was over the moon as this dish has two kinds of meat in it, chicken and sausage.  Any dish with double the meat is A OK in his book.

Blockette raved about this dish too.  Even as leftovers she couldn't stop talking about how much she liked the Jambalaya and what an awesome mom I was. YES! Maybe that makes up for punching her in the face while trying to help her zip up her coat the other morning.  (Did I mention it was right on her fat lip that she got when she knocked heads with another kid at recess?)  Not one of my more stellar moments.  Grace does run in the family you know.

I had a debate as to whether or not to use my 3 qt crock pot or my large one. I settled on the smaller one. As you can see from the above horrid photo, once I added the rice at the end, the jambalaya came almost to the top of the slow cooker. So keep that in mind when you are making this dish.


Slow Cooker Jambalaya from Plain Chicken
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast- cut into 1"cubes (I used 3 large chicken breasts)
1 pound smoked turkey sausage, sliced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice (I used crushed because I didn't want tomato-y bits in my dish)
3 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes (I used 1 T onion powder, as my onion flakes were MIA)
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tsp minced garlic
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (*see below*)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1/4 t cayenne to keep the heat down.)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4-6 cups of white rice or instant rice (I used medium grain rice that I cooked the night before)

In a slow cooker, mix the chicken, sausage, tomatoes with juice, onion, garlic, and broth. Season with oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, and thyme. Cover, and cook 7 to 8 hours on Low, or 3 to 4 hours on High. Mix in cooked rice cook for about 15 minutes to warm through.

*I happened to have some Cajun seasoning I got for free from Penzeys Spices ages ago.  If you don't have cajun or creole seasoning in your area/want something salt free, here is a great recipe from Munchin with Munchkin:

Creole seasoning from Munchin with Munchkin
4 t paprika
1 ½ t garlic powder
1 ½ t onion powder
1 ½ t black pepper
¼ t white pepper
¼ t cayenne
¼ t red pepper flakes
1 ½ t oregano
1 ½ t thyme
1 t basil
¼ t celery seed
1/8 t tumeric
¼ t kosher salt (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients until well combined.