Pressure Cooker Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage
Pressure Cooker Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage
Time for another virtual trip to the bayou!
Jambalaya, the creole classic rice dish, seemed like a natural for the pressure cooker. Sauté some chicken with the New Orleans trinity of onions, celery, and bell pepper, stir in rice, broth, and tomatoes, and pressure cook until the rice is cooked. It seems so straightforward, but it kept giving me problems.
Traditional recipes go with equal amounts of rice and broth, so that’s where I started – 2 cups of rice and 2 cups of chicken broth. No good – the rice absorbs all the water, and my Instant Pot goes into overheat mode. (That means the mixture is too thick, and the food at the bottom of the pot is sticking and burning.)
I scrape the bottom of the pot clean with my trusty flat edged wooden spoon, add another cup of water, lock the lid, set the timer, and…overheat mode again. Grr. Open the lid, scrape the pot, add another 2 cups of water…still overheating! Every time I added more water, the rice absorbed it, and the thick mixture would stick to the bottom of the pot. 1
Finally, I remembered what I learned adding pasta to the pressure cooker pot – a little goes a long way. I cut back to one cup of rice, and voila – it works the first time.
I have my jambalaya recipe, and I’m ready for Fat Tuesday!
Inspired by: Emeril Lagasse: Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya [emerils.com]
Video: Pressure Cooker Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage (1:23)
Pressure Cooker Jambalaya – Time Lapse [YouTube.com]
Pressure Cooker Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage
Pressure Cooker Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage – A taste of New Orleans in a one pot pressure cooker meal.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 45 min
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (store bought is fine)
- 1 large onion, minced
- 1 bell pepper, minced
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced 1/2 inch thick (andouille sausage is best if you can find it)
- 1 cup white wine (or water)
- 1 cup long-grain rice
- 2 cups chicken broth (or water)
- 14- to 15- ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 green onion, sliced thin
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the pressure cooker pot over medium heat until shimmering (sauté mode in my Instant Pot). Sprinkle the cubed chicken with 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, then add to the pot. Cook the chicken, without moving, until it is browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
- Sauté the aromatics, add everything to the pot: Stir in the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic into the pot, then sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. Stir in the smoked sausage slices, then sauté, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned chicken bits, until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer the wine for 1 minute. Stir in the rice, and water. Pour the diced tomatoes on top, but don’t stir. Float the bay leaf on top.
- Pressure cook the jambalaya: Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes in an electric or stovetop PC. Let the pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes.
- Serve: Unlock the lid and open the pot, lifting 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.
Notes
- Fits in a 6 quart or larger pressure cooker (I love my Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker )
- You really should get a Flat edged wooden spoon, one of my favorite kitchen tools
Pressure Cooker Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice
Pressure Cooker Shrimp Etouffee
Pressure Cooker Chicken Gumbo
My other Pressure Cooker Recipes
My other Pressure Cooker Time Lapse Videos
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Unfortunately, this is a problem I run into a lot. There is no evaporation in pressure cooking – all the liquid is trapped in the sealed pot – so pressure cooker recipes come out on the watery side. I’m constantly cutting back on the liquid, trying to find the minimum amount I need to come up to pressure without overheating. Sometimes, like this one, I don’t get that balance right…↩
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Tomatoes in jambalaya is a point of contention in Louisiana. The traditional Cajun (country) jambalaya is brown with no tomato. Creole versions found in New Orleans will often have tomatoes.
I’ve done both and like them, but the no-tomato crowd can be vociferous.
Oh, goody. Now I have both Texas “No Beans in Chili” AND Louisiana “No Tomatoes in Jambalaya” mad at me.
Do you think you can double this and still have it fit in the 6 quart IP? We want the leftovers! Thanks.
Not in the 6 quart. This recipe is already close to the max fill line.
I just made this last night and it was delicious and came out perfectly. I did cut the Cajun spice in 1/2 since my crew has more sensitive palates. It still had a kick even with that. Thank you for a ‘keeper’ in my house!
Looking forward to trying this, but I have a question…
How much liquid should I withhold if not including the rice? I want to serve this with riced cauliflower, which I imagine would disappear if cooked under pressure. I know the rice will suck up a lot of the liquid when cooked, so I’m afraid it will be too watery when leaving out the rice. Any ideas? Thanks
Try it with one cup of liquid – or whatever the minimum liquid amount is for your pressure cooker.
I made this with apple juice instead of the white wine, added okra and had a bigger can of tomatoes. Oh my gosh, this was perfect!! My family loved it. The rice was perfect! Thanks for this awesome recipe!
★★★★★
You’re welcome!
Could you cook shrimp at the same time with the chicken? Maybe put them in a minute or two prior? Would you add anymore liquid? Thank you!
No, pressure cooking will overcook the shrimp. Add them after cooking – quick release the pressure after about 10 minutes of natural pressure release, then stir them in and wait five minutes for them to cook through. (See the steps in this recipe: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-shrimp-etouffee/)