Chicken · Slow cooker adaptation

AB's Chicken Sausage Jambalaya (Slow Cooker)

R By Richard · Adapted from Smokin' & Grillin with AB · Published 23 June 2026
👁 1.2M source views ❤️ 39.1k source likes
⏱Prep 25 min
🍲Slow cook 5 hr (Low) / 3 hr (High)
🍽Serves 6
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

Source video by Smokin' & Grillin with AB on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

AB cooks his chicken and sausage jambalaya as a Dutch oven one-pot. Boneless chicken thigh and chicken andouille sausage are browned, the holy trinity of onion, celery and bell pepper is softened, then everything simmers with diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire, chicken broth and long grain rice. This slow cooker version keeps the same Cajun backbone but cooks the meats and trinity low and slow. The rice is held back and added in the final 30 minutes on High so the grains stay whole rather than blowing out. Smoked sausage works in place of andouille if you cannot get it.

Slow cooker notes: Source is a hob Dutch oven recipe. Browning of the andouille (2 minutes), chicken thighs (6 to 8 minutes) and the trinity (6 to 8 minutes, then garlic for 2 minutes) is kept in a frying pan because slow cookers do not colour meat. Everything is then transferred to the slow cooker with the tomato paste, Worcestershire, diced tomatoes, salt and chicken broth and cooked low. Rice is NOT added at the start. It goes in for the final 30 minutes on High so the long grain does not collapse over the full slow cook. Liquid is kept at the source 4.5 cups because the rice still needs that volume to absorb. Slow cooker timings (Low 4 to 5 hours, High 2 to 3 hours) are inferred from typical braise behaviour, not stated in the source.

Ingredients

Meat
  • 680 gboneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 cm bite-sized pieces
  • chicken andouille sausage, sliced
Base
  • 30 mlolive oil, split into two 1 tbsp additions
  • 2 wholemedium onions, diced small
  • 100 gcelery, diced
  • 150 gbell peppers, diced
  • minced garlic
Liquids and tinned
  • 170 gtomato paste
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • 400 gItalian style diced tomatoes, tin, with basil, garlic and oregano
  • 1080 mlchicken broth
Seasoning
  • salt
Rice
  • 500 glong grain rice, uncooked (add late)

Method

  1. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan or Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the sliced chicken andouille sausage flat in the pan and cook for 2 minutes, letting the fat render and flavour the oil.

    ~5 min

  2. Add the chicken thigh pieces to the same pan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning, until the outsides have colour. They do not need to be cooked through. Lift the sausage and chicken into the slow cooker, leaving the juices behind.

    ~8 min

  3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan. Tip in the onions, celery and bell peppers and cook for 6 minutes, stirring once, until starting to soften.

    ~8 min

  4. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and stir through. Add the diced tomatoes and two pinches of salt and stir until combined.

    ~4 min

  5. Scrape the vegetable and tomato mixture into the slow cooker with the meats. Pour over the chicken broth and stir.

    ~2 min

  6. Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 5 hours or High for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken is tender.

    ~240 min

  7. Switch the slow cooker to High if it is not already. Stir in the long grain rice, making sure it is submerged. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring once at the 20 minute mark to stop it catching on the base, until the rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid.

    ~30 min

  8. Give the jambalaya a final stir with the lid off to release a little steam. Taste and adjust salt. Serve in bowls while piping hot.

    ~3 min

Frequently asked

Can I use a different sausage?
Yes. AB suggests smoked sausage if you cannot get chicken andouille. Any andouille style sausage works, the smokier the better.
Why is the rice added at the end?
Slow cookers run wet and a long cook on rice turns it to porridge. Stirring it in for the last 30 minutes on High lets the grains absorb the broth without collapsing.
Do I really need to brown the meat first?
Yes. Slow cookers steam rather than brown, so the colour and depth of flavour need to come from the pan. The two minutes on the andouille also releases fat into the oil that carries through the whole pot.
What is the holy trinity?
Onion, celery and bell pepper diced together. It is the Cajun and Creole equivalent of the French mirepoix and the base of this jambalaya.
Extraction notes (transparency): Quantity of chicken andouille sausage not stated in the transcript (AB shows the pack but never gives a weight). Worcestershire sauce and minced garlic quantities also not stated. Salt is by pinch. Slow cooker timings are adapted, not from the source (source is a 30 minute hob simmer).