Instant Pot Brown Rice Jambalaya. The New Orleans classic, pressure cooked with brown rice, smoked sausage, and chicken.
I'm trying to eat healthier by using more brown rice in my diet, so for Mardi Gras this year I'm making Jambalaya with brown rice.
Wait - a healthy Fat Tuesday? Isn't that a contradiction? Shouldn't Mardi Gras be about excess and celebration?
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Well, yes. I'm fine with a less excess when the results taste this good. Brown rice works really well with jambalaya, with its extra flavor and chew. Especially when pressure cooking, I think brown rice makes a better jambalaya than my white rice version.
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🥫Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Cajun seasoning
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Celery
- Garlic
- Fine sea salt
- Cayenne pepper
- Dried thyme
- White wine
- Brown long-grain rice
- Chicken broth
- Smoked sausage
- Petite diced tomatoes
- Bay leaf
See recipe card for quantities.
🥘 Substitutions
Chicken thighs - I prefer dark meat in pressure cooking; you can substitute chicken breast, but it's going to get a little overcooked in the longer cooking time that brown rice needs.
Cajun Seasoning - there are all sorts of store-bought cajun seasoning blends, and any of them will work in this recipe. Most Store-bought blends have a lot of salt; it will be the first or second ingredient in their ingredient list. If you have get salt-free cajun seasoning, or use my salt-free homemade Cajun spice rub, add a teaspoon of fine sea salt to the recipe.
Cajun aromatics - the Cajun trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery, sautéed with garlic, make the backbone of most Cajun recipes. (At least that's what Emeril taught me on Emeril Live years ago.)
Spicy - Cajun seasoning is already spicy, and I add an extra teaspoon of cayenne pepper to kick it up a notch. (Shout-out to Mr. Lagasse again). If you are serving kids (or other heat-sensitive types), skip the cayenne.
White wine - I add a little wine for the acid and a hint of fruit in the recipe. Also, the alcohol helps bloom some of the spices in the Cajun seasoning. If you want to avoid alcohol in your cooking, replace it with more chicken broth.
Brown rice - I use long grain brown rice in this recipe. Long grain brown rice is less dense and chewy than medium- or short-grain brown rice. (Brown rice is already dense and chewy to begin with.) That said, if you have or prefer a denser rice, go ahead and substitute medium or short grain brown rice.
If you want to use white rice, use this recipe instead: Pressure Cooker Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage
Chicken broth - I love homemade pressure cooker broth, but you can substitute low-sodium store-bought broth, or water. If you use homemade broth or water, make sure to add an extra ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt to the recipe.
Smoked sausage - Andouille sausage is the traditional choice from New Orleans, but any smoked sausage will do.
Petite diced tomatoes - I like the smaller chunks of petite diced tomatoes in this recipe, because they blend in with the rice better. But, a can of regular diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes will work.
Bay leaf - not absolutely necessary, but it is a common ingredient in jambalaya. Make sure to discard it when you're done cooking. It has given its flavor to the dish, and whole bay leaves are a choking hazard.
🛠 Equipment
📏Scaling
This recipe doubles easily in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Cut all the ingredients in half and this recipe will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same amount of time to cook brown rice, no matter how much you're cooking.
💡Tips and Tricks
- Simmer to thicken. This recipe comes out on the border between a rice dish and a soup. If you want a thicker jambalaya, set your Instant Pot for Sauté mode adjusted to low and simmer for an extra 10 minutes to thicken it up. Just make sure to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot so the rice doesn't stick and burn.
Instant Pot Brown Rice Jambalaya
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups of jambalaya 1x
Description
Instant Pot Brown Rice Jambalaya. The New Orleans classic, pressure cooked with brown rice, smoked sausage, and chicken.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using salt-free Cajun seasoning)
- 1 large onion, minced
- 1 bell pepper, minced
- 1 rib celery, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup white wine (or more broth or water)
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice
- 1 cup chicken broth (homemade or low-sodium store-bought or water)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
- 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced ½ inch thick (andouille sausage if you can find it)
- 14- to 16-ounce can petite diced tomatoes with juices
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1 bay leaf
Accompaniments
- Tabasco sauce
- Sliced green onion
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: In an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil using Sauté mode until the oil starts to shimmer, about 3 minutes. (Use medium heat in a stovetop PC.) Sprinkle the chicken with 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning (and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt if the Cajun seasoning is salt-free.) Add the chicken to the pot in a single layer. Cook the chicken, without moving, until it is browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Remove the browned chicken to a bowl, leaving as much oil behind as possible.
- Sauté the aromatics: Stir in the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic into the pot, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, and ½ teaspoon dried thyme. Sauté, scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned chicken bits, until the onion turns translucent and starts to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer the wine for 1 minute. Stir in the rice, chicken broth, ½ teaspoon salt (if using homemade broth or water), sliced sausage, diced tomatoes, and the browned chicken and any juices in the chicken bowl. Float the bay leaf on top.
- Pressure cook the jambalaya for 20 minutes with a 15 minute Natural Release: Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC ("Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode in an Instant Pot), or for 16 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure at that point).
- Serve: Unlock the lid and open the pot, tilting the lid away from you to avoid the hot steam. Discard the bay leaf, then stir the jambalaya to fluff up the rice. Scoop into serving bowls, sprinkle with the minced green onions, and serve, passing Tabasco sauce at the table. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Sunday Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Cajun
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Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 428
- Sugar: 3.9 g
- Sodium: 981 mg
- Fat: 22.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.6 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Cholesterol: 115.4 mg
☃️ Storage
Cooked rice does not keep well - it carries bacteria spores (Bacillus cereus) that multiply in warm temperatures. If you need to store cooked rice, cool it down quickly in the refrigerator, or freeze, within an hour of cooking. Store refrigerated rice for 2-3 days, or frozen rice for up to 3 months, and make sure to reheat completely (to at least 165°F) before eating. (Source: Safe Handling of Cooked Rice, University of Wisconsin Extension)
🤝 Related Posts
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Instant Pot Cajun Pinto Beans
Instant Pot Dirty Rice
Instant Pot Pastalaya (Cajun Jambalaya with Pasta)
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My other Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Michael P says
1/31/26 - Tried a half batch for the wife & I. Came out pretty darn good!
I used Kielbasa because that’s what I had on hand. I also used Costco rotisserie chicken which I added at the end after pressure cooking. I had increased the amount of brown rice (3/4 cup plus 3/4 cup chicken broth) after reading the recipe comments but IMHO it was still not enough rice. Used a 10oz can of Rotel fire roasted tomatoes with chilis, 1 rib of celery, 1 sweet onion, and ¾ of a red bell pepper. I used black pepper instead of cayenne and it was just the right heat. It had a bit too much liquid after pressure cooking but was actually just right as I had to add the rotisserie chicken and heat it through. Definitely will make this again. Half batch feeds 3 people. Served it with a dollop of sour cream. Modified the original recipe to use 2 cups brown rice & 2 cups broth for next time. Will try adding thawed shrimp after pressure cooking and simmer till shrimp is cooked.
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Vicky says
Enjoyed this very much.
Thank you for the instructions on how to cut the recipe down for the 3 qt mini instant pot.
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome.
Raynette says
First time I've ever made jambalaya "from scratch." GREAT recipe! Don't think I'll EVER go back to the box! Thanks for sharing!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Mary Sulver says
Delicious.
Mike Vrobel says
Thank you!
Aaron Friedman says
It's interesting that you cut it back from 3 cups of white rice to 1 cup of brown rice, with basically the same amount of stuff in it. I'm going to try it out this week, however, I might throw in an extra 1/2 cup rice (and water) since brown rice tends to also yield less than white.
Like you, I've switched to brown rice in most situations. Once I got used to the texture, I actually started to prefer it. I'll probably never use white rice for fried rice again. Brown comes out way better, and a lot less oil is needed.