Pressure Cooker Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage. A quick trip to Louisiana, thanks to my Instant Pot.
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!
Recipe: Pressure Cooker Jambalaya with Chicken and Sausage
Inspired by: Emeril Lagasse: Andouille and Chicken Jambalaya [emerils.com]
Video: Pressure Cooker Jambalaya - Time Lapse [YouTube.com]
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
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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Deborah Kang
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
You’re welcome!
Carolyn M Osborne
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
You’re welcome!
Anna
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
This is the best jambalaya recipe! It was so tasty and easy! Thank you!
Mike Vrobel
You’re welcome!
Michelle
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
Whoops - it goes in with the onions, garlic, and spices.