Instant Pot Jambalaya
You can use a box mix to make a quick jambalaya at home, or you can use your electric pressure cooker to make a homemade version, one that’s very quick and easy!
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Turn your Instant Pot to the Saute setting (the normal, not high or More setting). Once hot, add your oil (vegetable or canola). Add the diced chicken and cook for one minute (I cooked mine longer, till brown on the outside and mostly cooked, although I could see some pink left). Remove the chicken to a paper-towel lined plate.
  2. With your Instant Pot still on saute, add more oil (as needed). Add the sausage slices, cooking until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to the same plate with the chicken pieces.
  3. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to the Instant Pot and cook until softened, but not browned. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  4. Add the Cajun seasoning, dried basil, thyme, and rice and stir to combine. (See Notes below, I added more spices, since I was combining two recipes).
  5. Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, chicken stock, and salt.
  6. Secure the instant pot lid and turn valve to sealing. Cook on Manual High Pressure for 5 minutes. When the timer beeps, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes, and then quick release the remaining pressure.
  7. Carefully open the lid and gently fluff the rice with a fork. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes

Stacy’s Notes:

  • I had 2 or 3 recipes pinned on Pinterest and I sort of jumbled them up and combined them.  I don’t always do the best when “winging” a recipe, but this came out really good. The rice was a little wet or sticky when we first opened the IP, but as with most dishes, after a few minutes, it had setup nicely and was the perfect consistency. Also, we always have leftovers, and I would always rather have extra liquid than not enough. The liquid is always absorbed into the rice (or pasta) in the refrigerator.
  • I didn’t measure most of my spices, just shook a bunch in.  I added a lot more than either recipe called for, as I tend to think that items cooked in a pressure cooker need more seasoning.
  • You can use boneless breasts or thighs, you can use an uncooked authentic andouille sausage (I had a fully cooked one in my freezer I was trying to use up), and you can also add shrimp. We’ve had jambalaya with all of those included. As stated in the video, all “traditional” jambalaya’s use the trinity of cajun cooking – onion, bell pepper and celery. I leave out what I don’t like (bell pepper & celery), so ours is not overly authentic, but suited to my tastes.
  • One of the recipes had you cooking the jambalaya for 10 minutes, but I’ve cooked white rice in my IP before and usually use 6 minutes, so I went with the other recipes instruction of 5 minutes on Manual/Pressure Cook, then a natural release of 5 minutes.

Enjoy!