Instant Pot Jambalaya Recipe with Chicken and Sausage. The New Orleans classic is a one-pot meal from my pressure cooker. Sauté some chicken with the Cajun trinity of onions, celery, and bell pepper; add some cajun seasoning, then stir in rice, broth, sausage, and tomatoes, and pressure cook for 4 minutes. It really is that easy.
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Why this recipe gave me fits (Don't add too much rice)
It took me a little while to perfect this recipe.
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 use equal amounts of rice and broth, but that doesn't work in my Instant Pot. The rice absorbs all the water, and my Instant Pot goes into overheat mode. The mixture is too thick, and the food at the bottom of the pot is sticking and burning.
The trick to this recipe is that a little rice goes a long way. I cut back to one cup of rice, kept the 2 cups of broth, and it worked. I have my jambalaya recipe, and I’m ready for Fat Tuesday!
Inspired by: Emeril Lagasse: Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya emerils.com. (Bam!)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs), cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (plus ½ teaspoon of salt if using my Homemade Cajun Seasoning)
- 1 large onion, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, minced
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for extra heat)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced ½ inch thick (andouille sausage is best if you can find it)
- 1 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth (or water)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 14- to 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 green onion, sliced thin
How to make Instant Pot Jambalaya
Brown the chicken in the Instant pot
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an Instant Pot set to Saute mode - high until the oil is shimmering. (Or heat in a pressure cooker set to medium heat). 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
Stir the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic into the pot with the chicken, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, and ½ teaspoon dried thyme. Stir in the smoked sausage slices. Sauté everything, until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned chicken bits. Pour in the white wine, bring to a simmer, and simmer the wine for 1 minute.
Everything in the Pot
Stir in the rice and chicken broth (or water). Stir in the ½ teaspoon of salt (if using homemade broth or water), Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and the bay leaf. Pour the diced tomatoes on top of everything, but don’t stir.
Pressure cook the jambalaya for 4 minutes with a Natural Release
Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 4 minutes in an Instant Pot, electric pressure cooker, or a stove top pressure cooker. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - custom mode set to 4 minutes in an Instant Pot). After the pressure cooking finishes, let the pressure release naturally, about 15 more minutes. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 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 more Tabasco sauce at the table. Enjoy!
Substitutions
- Cooked chicken: If you have leftover chicken, use it instead of the chicken breast. Shred the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces, skip the "Brown the chicken" step, and add the chicken with the sausage in the "Everything in the Pot" step
- New Orleans Hot Sauces: Use your favorite hot sauce with this recipe. Tabasco is the most famous; Crystal and Louisiana Hot sauce are a couple of my other favorites.
- White wine: Any dry white wine will do; I keep single-serve bottles of Pinot Grigio in my pantry for use in recipes. I want the hint of acid, and the alcohol helps release some fo the spice flavors into the dish. Simmering the wine will remove some of the alcohol, but not all of it, so if you don't want alcohol in the recipe, replace it with chicken broth or water.
- Rice: American long-grain white rice is traditional for this recipe. Any long grain rice will do, though, and I often make this recipe with jasmine rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Cajun trinity is a sauté of minced onions, bell pepper, and celery, which are the base of almost every Cajun dish, especially Jambalaya. The traditional ratio is equal amounts of the onions, bell pepper, and celery, though I'm not a fanatic about it; I guesstimate the amount by the size of the onion, bell pepper, and celery stalk that I use. If one is a little bigger or smaller than the other, I don't care - I'm throwing it all in the pot to sauté.
I think the other essential seasonings for Jambalaya are Cajun seasoning (with a little extra cayenne pepper), garlic, thyme, a Louisiana style hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
Yes! Use a box of Zatarains Jambalaya rice mix instead of the white rice, cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper in the recipe.
Now, I'd recommend following the recipe otherwise, browning the chicken and sautéing the cajun trinity of onions, peppers, and celery, then adding the box of rice mix, broth, and pressure cooking everything in the pot.
But, if you're really in a hurry, use pre-cooked chicken and andouille sausage, skip the browning and sautéing steps, and move straight to "everything in the pot", adding the cooked chicken, sliced sausage, box of rice mix, and the chicken broth. The rest of the recipe is the same, including the cooking time.
What to serve with Instant Pot Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a one-pot meal, so it doesn't need much served with it. I like to serve it with Instant Pot Collard Greens, Instant Pot Turnip Greens, or a salad. And, then, a starchy side - cornbread is my favorite, but biscuits or a loaf of crusty bread will also do. And, of course, some hot sauce.
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Instant Pot Jambalaya Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
Description
Instant Pot Jambalaya Recipe with Chicken and Sausage. The New Orleans classic is a one-pot meal from my pressure cooker. Sauté some chicken with the Cajun trinity of onions, celery, and bell pepper; add some cajun seasoning, then stir in rice, broth, sausage, and tomatoes, and pressure cook for 4 minutes with a Natural Release.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs), cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (plus ½ teaspoon of salt if using my Homemade Cajun Seasoning)
- 1 large onion, minced
- 1 green bell pepper, minced
- 1 stalk celery, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for extra heat)
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced ½ inch thick (andouille sausage is best if you can find it)
- 1 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth (or water)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 14- to 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 green onion, sliced thin, for garnish
Instructions
- Brown the chicken in the Instant Pot: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in an Instant Pot set to Saute mode - high until the oil is shimmering. (Or heat in a pressure cooker set to medium heat). 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: Stir the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic into the pot with the chicken, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, and ½ teaspoon dried thyme. Stir in the smoked sausage slices. Sauté everything, until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally with a flat-edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned chicken bits. Pour in the white wine, bring to a simmer, and simmer the wine for 1 minute.
- Everything in the Pot: Stir in the rice and chicken broth (or water). Stir in the ½ teaspoon of salt (if using homemade broth or water), Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and the bay leaf. Pour the diced tomatoes on top of everything, but don’t stir.
- Pressure cook for 4 minutes with a Natural Release: Lock the lid and cook at high pressure for 4 minutes in an Instant Pot, electric pressure cooker, or a stove top pressure cooker. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - custom mode set to 4 minutes in an Instant Pot). After the pressure cooking finishes, let the pressure release naturally, about 15 more minutes. (You can quick release any remaining pressure after 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 more Tabasco sauce at the table. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 45 min
- Category: Weeknight Dinner
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: American
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My other Instant Pot Recipes
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David says
Made this tonight and it was perfect. So easy to make a was amazing. I did not add the extra salt and it came out great.
Abby-wan Kenobi says
Made this tonight and quite liked it. I'm accommodating a low-sodium diet, so o skipped the salt and replaced the pre-mixed cajun seasoning with a combination of smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, ancho chili powder and oregano. All added generously by feel. Flavor came out great, the saltiness of the sausage was plenty to carry the whole dish.
I used long grain brown rice and even reducing the liquid to 2 cups it came out quite soupy. No complaints, but if you like it thick maybe stick to white rice or reduce the liquid by half.
Erin says
Kudos to you on this *winner* recipe!! Seriously delicious. Made the recipe with tiny tweaks only. Used Hillshaire Farm hot smoked sausage (what we could get). Used Noilly Prat dry vermouth instead of white wine (what I had handy, and a few decades ago, I think Julia Child sanctioned the substitute). Cut the chicken broth to 1 1/2 cups because my green bell and onion were big. Penzeys was our Cajun seasoning.
Mike Vrobel says
I love the Julia Child substitution of dry vermouth for white wine - I've used it myself many times.
Brandy says
I am the worst at actually leaving reviews, but this recipe is too good not to! Yum!! The only thing I did different was I used a 28 oz can of tomatoes because it's what I had and I didn't want to waste half the can. But it still turned out great and I will make this again!
Dee Ann says
Maybe it's just me, the PC (pressure cooker) novice, but where do you get 45 minutes cooking time? The instructions say to cook under pressure for 4 minutes and release naturally (15 mins). Even with the sauteeing it's nowhere near 45 minutes. So do I cook under pressure for 40 minutes, 4 minutes, or what? Thanks.
Mike Vrobel says
About: 3 minutes to heat the oil until shimmering, 3 minutes to brown the chicken, 5 minutes to saute the onions, 3 minutes to bring the wine to a simmer, 1 minute to simmer the wine. (Add everything and lock the lid.) Up to pressure - 5 to 10 minutes. 4 minutes cooking at high pressure. Natural pressure release of about 15 minutes. 3+3+5+3+1+10+4+15 = 44 minutes. (I rounded up to 45 minutes.)
Gail says
This Jambalaya recipe was good. I made it for tonight for Fat Tuesday and my company loved it. Thanks for posting it.
Heather W. says
Another DCD winner in our house! This is the easiest and yummiest jambalaya recipe I've ever made! Two thumbs up from my La.-native hubby and both our kids. Thanks for helping me love my Instant Pot.
Bunny says
Made this today and used 1 pound chicken breast, 1 pound smoked sausage and 1 pound raw shrimp. I just added the shrimp along with the sausage when the recipe called for it. Everything else was the same and it turned out great. Thank you for a great recipe.
Kim says
If I add brown rice would I still use the same amount of water? Thank you.
Mike Vrobel says
Same amount of water and rice; cook for 20 minutes under pressure, like I do here: https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-brown-jasmine-rice/
Sherry says
I made this today and it tastes wonderful!
Rachel says
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!
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
db says
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
Mike Vrobel says
Try it with one cup of liquid - or whatever the minimum liquid amount is for your pressure cooker.
Jane Sheets says
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!
Sharon says
Do you think you can double this and still have it fit in the 6 quart IP? We want the leftovers! Thanks.
Mike Vrobel says
Not in the 6 quart. This recipe is already close to the max fill line.
Chris says
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.
Mike Vrobel says
Oh, goody. Now I have both Texas "No Beans in Chili" AND Louisiana "No Tomatoes in Jambalaya" mad at me.
Deirdre says
LOL! I'm a Texan whose parents were born in Vermont. I make my chili with beans. but i ramp up the heat and no one argues with me.... stick to yer guns dude!!!!! 🙂 trying this jambalaya. Thanks for posting it!