Slow Cooker Jambalaya

[color:"blue"]Slow Cooker Jambalaya[/color]

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound andouille sausage, diced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth with a Shrimp shell infusion (see note)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 bay leaves
4 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound frozen peeled raw shrimp, thawed (save shells)
2 cups cooked rice

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a slow cooker, combine chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and chicken broth. Stir in oregano, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and thyme.

2. Cover, and cook on LOW for 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours.
3. Stir in the thawed shrimp, cover and cook until the shrimp is heated through and cooked, about 10 minutes.
4. Discard bay leaves and spoon mixture over cooked rice.


NOTE:
Shrimp shell infusion:
heat up the right amount of Chicken Stock and add some raw Shrimp shells to it and simmer for about 15-20 minutes! It gives it a quick little infusion.

Brian--thanks! As you should know, I'm always in for crock pot recipes! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Smile.gif" alt="" />

Now that sounds good. Gotta try it soon.

That looks delicious, and pretty healthy too! I've been looking for something different for a weeknight meal, and this will work nicely. Thanks Brian!

EEK! I'm making this now, and my Worcestershire sauce bottle had about two drops in it! Any good subs, I don't have time to run to the store!

Try using A1 Sauce...

I don't have any of that either..rarely eat a steak, and if I do I eat it naked. I decided that the flavor was too important and ran to the store anyway. Smells yummy already!

It's always good to have Worcestershire on hand... it's used in many Creole/Cajun recipes...
I always add some in my meatloaf mix too... and a dash or two in Bloody Mary's!

This was excellent! The only thing I would change is to thicken it a little. A nice dark roux would do that nicely, but of course would add an awful lot of fat and calories. Next time I might just omit the stock entirely.

had this for dinner tonight--very good, thank you!! Would have to agree with GaKaye, little too "soupy", think I'll leave out the broth next time too....many thanks, yummy! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

I agree, I do now remember thinking the same thing when I last made it, about a year ago... it was a bit soupy...
But I think I'd leave out about 1/2 cup of the crushed tomatos... and add a bout 1/2 cup of the infused broth, just for the flavor...
actually I think next time I'll use whole plum tomatos (and seed them , then cut them into chunks myself) packed in puree... I like the tomatos a bit more "chunky" than crushed...
also I'd add a small amount of roux about 30 mimutes before adding the shrimp...

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions! Glad you two enjoyed it...
It's really good as is, even if a bit soupy!
I'm not sure, but I think authentic Jambalaya is supposed to be soupy?
But I'd prefer it not so...

Brian, I think you're right; it's supposed to be soupy. Probably should serve it in a shallow bowl, and eat with a spoon, almost like a soup or stew. I might do that tomorrow with the leftovers.

OK, this is interesting! I Googled Jambalaya to see if it was supposed to be soupy, and this is a part of what I read on Wikipedia:

Jambalaya is differentiated from other traditional ethnic Louisiana dishes, such as gumbo and étouffée, by the way in which the rice is included. In the latter dishes, the rice is cooked separately and is served as a bed which the main dish is served on. In the usual method of preparing Jambalaya, a rich stock is created from vegetables, meat, and seafood. Raw rice is then added to the broth and the flavor is absorbed by the grains as the rice cooks.

I don't think there's enough liquid in this recipe to add raw rice, but maybe adding a little more liquid and then raw rice would work.

thanks to both of you for the added tips/suggestions...this is definitely a keeper--delish! Would love more slow cooker recipes--great for working weeknights! Thanx <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/dine.gif" alt="" />