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.
Print
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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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 3.5 g
- Sodium: 882.1 mg
- Fat: 20.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.7 g
- Protein: 28.5 g
- Cholesterol: 96.7 mg
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
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My other Instant Pot Recipes
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Logan says
The flavor was great, but I followed the recipe exactly, and it came out WAY too soupy. It ate more like a gumbo than a jambalaya. But, again, the flavor was on point.
Kristina says
My husband and I grew up in Louisiana, but now live in Arizona. We hosted a crawfish boil over the weekend for our twin boys' 18th birthday. I quadrupled this recipe in my 2 pressure cookers and served it along with the crawfish, corn, and potatoes. Our guests raved about this jambalaya. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome! I’m glad it worked so well for you.
Deborah Kang says
This was delicious. I was able to fit it in my 3 quart instant pot. I had a small bag of frozen presliced peppers and onions, risotto rice, fresh garlic, breakfast sausage. All else was as the recipe requires. We had 4-6 generous servings. Plenty for a heart dinner and leftovers for lunches. Yum. Thank you!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Carolyn M Osborne says
I made this last night and we love it. Jambalaya is one of our favorite dishes, and what a treat to not have to monitor the rice's doneness. It was perfect!
I didn't have a Bell pepper, so subbed in an Anaheim. Maybe because of that, we felt Habanero sauce rather than Tabasco made the better at-the-table seasoning. It sure is good. I made a double recipe in my 8-quart Instant Pot, so we have leftovers!
I do like jambalaya with shrimp. The next time I make this, I'm going to saute some shrimp (with some Cajun seasoning), and use 2t chicken bouillon and 1 t shrimp bouillon in place of plain water. We'll see how that goes.
Thank you for a great recipe!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Anna says
This was a hit with my whole family…I was surprised how delicious it was and it will become part of our regular rotation!
I used a variety of peppers bc I…had them. Red and green bell, half a habanero, poblano, hatch Chile and a wax pepper. Just a little extra chopping but what a great flavor profile! Also doubled the garlic. And added a can of black beans. So delicious!
Gail Noren says
This is the best jambalaya recipe! It was so tasty and easy! Thank you!
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Michelle says
This was delicious! I've read the receipt several times but didn't see where to add the thyme - I added chopped fresh (all I had) thyme in with the sausage, and used chicken thighs instead of breasts. Will definitely make again!
Mike Vrobel says
Whoops - it goes in with the onions, garlic, and spices.