Instant Pot Jambalaya is a quick and flavorful Cajun dish packed with shrimp, chicken, sausage, and vibrant veggies like bell peppers and celery. The pressure cooker blends all the spices and ingredients perfectly in no time. Pair it with crusty bread for a delicious, satisfying meal!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Spice and Everything Nice: This recipe offers a rich, spicy flavor that's truly irresistible.
- Quick and Convenient: The Instant Pot makes this complex dish simple and fast to prepare.
- Versatile Ingredients: Jambalaya can be customized with your favorite proteins and vegetables.
📋 Ingredients
- Olive Oil: Provides a flavorful base for sautéing the ingredients and helps to prevent sticking in the Instant Pot.
- Andouille Sausages: Adds a smoky and spicy flavor to the dish, giving it that classic jambalaya taste.
- Boneless Chicken Tenders: Adds protein and a savory taste to the jambalaya, contributing to its heartiness.
- Onion, Green Bell Pepper, Yellow Bell Pepper, Red Bell Pepper: Add texture, sweetness, and a variety of flavors to the dish.
- Celery: Adds a refreshing crunch and a subtle earthy flavor to the jambalaya.
- Jalapenos: Provide a mild heat and a hint of spiciness to the dish, adding depth and complexity.
- Minced Garlic: Enhances the overall flavor of the jambalaya with its aromatic and savory notes.
- Basmati Rice: The grain of choice for this recipe, it cooks up fluffy and absorbs all the delicious flavors of the jambalaya.
- Salt: Enhances the taste of the other ingredients and brings all the flavors together.
- Cajun Seasoning: Adds a robust and spicy flavor profile to the jambalaya, giving it that signature Cajun kick.
- Bay Leaves: Infuse the jambalaya with a subtle herbal aroma and flavor.
- Thyme: Adds a delicate and earthy note to the dish, enhancing its overall taste.
- Diced Tomatoes: Provide a tangy and slightly acidic element to the jambalaya, balancing the richness of the other ingredients.
- Chicken Broth or Chicken Stock: Provides a savory base for cooking the rice and infuses it with rich flavor.
- Cooked Shrimp: Adds a seafood element to the jambalaya, bringing a tender texture and a taste of the sea.
- Green Onions: Used as a garnish, they add a fresh and mild onion flavor, as well as a pop of color to the finished dish.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
- Seafood Jambalaya: Add mussels, clams, crab meat, fish fillets, and white wine.
- Creole Jambalaya: Include okra, black-eyed peas, ham or smoked turkey, and gumbo file powder.
- Spicy Jambalaya: Use chorizo sausages, habanero peppers, and wild rice.
🔪How to Make Instant Pot Jambalaya?
Chop the onion, peppers, jalapenos, and celery. Next, slice the andouille sausage and cut the chicken tenders into bite-sized pieces.
Set the Instant Pot to Saute and add the olive oil. Allow it to warm up for a few minutes. Add the chopped chicken tenders to the Instant Pot to brown. Brown for 3 minutes. Stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
Turn the Instant Pot off. Add the chicken broth to the Instant Pot and deglaze.
Add onion, peppers, celery, garlic, jalapenos, salt, Cajun seasoning, and thyme. Stir to mix the vegetables and seasoning.
Add the rice and the can of tomatoes into your Instant Pot and stir to combine.
Put the lid on the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
Once the pressure cooker has finished cooking let it rest for 5 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.
Carefully unlock the Instant Pot lid and stir the cooked shrimp and sausage into the Instant Pot using a slotted spoon.
Replace the lid and let it rest for another 5 minutes. The residual heat will warm the sausage and shrimp.
Serve your one-pot meal in a medium bowl and garnish with sprinkled green onions.
Every time I make this, I just can't wait to dig in. The shrimp is delicious and this Instant pot jambalaya has quickly become one of my favorite recipes.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- Use Quality Ingredients: Quality ingredients like fresh shrimp and Andouille sausage can significantly enhance the flavor of your Jambalaya. However you can use frozen shrimp too.
- Don't Overcook: Ensure you don't overcook your Jambalaya. Overcooking can make the rice mushy and the meat tough.
- Cut Meat Appropriately: Cut your meats into equal sizes to ensure even cooking.
💭 FAQs
This recipe calls for basmati rice, but you can swap it with brown rice in this Instant Pot Jambalaya. Cooking time may differ as brown rice takes longer to cook. You can also use long-grain white rice or jasmine rice.
You can switch out the andouille sausage for other types like smoked sausage or even chorizo. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed based on the type of sausage used.
Either skinless chicken thighs or breasts can be used in this recipe. Just add chicken into the inner pot when instructed and it should pressure cook just fine.
If the message appears, add more liquid to the pot. Scrape the bottom of the inner pot before pressure cooking to remove brown bits and add more chicken broth if required. If needed, quickly release pressure and add extra liquid before following the recipe.
One tip for keeping the rice in Jambalaya from getting mushy is to only use basmati or jasmine rice. These types of rice have a lower moisture content than other varieties like brown rice, so they hold up better during cooking.
Once the Jambalaya has cooled, transfer it into airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. Store Jambalaya in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, you can freeze Jambalaya. It will keep well for about 2-3 months.
Serving Suggestions
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Cajun Jambalaya:
- Green Salad: A Fresh Salad with a bright citrus dressing can balance the rich, spicy flavors of Jambalaya.
- Sauteed Collard Greens or Broccoli: These hearty greens add a nutritious component and their earthy flavor complements the robust taste of Jambalaya.
- Cornbread or Biscuits: These Southern classics provide a comforting, starchy side that's perfect for sopping up the flavorful Jambalaya sauce.
- Crusty French Baguette: Much like cornbread, a Crusty Baguette serves as a vessel for any extra sauce, adding a satisfying crunch to your meal.
- Vegetable Sides that go with Jambalaya include Sauteed Bell Peppers, sliced mushrooms, Corn On The Cob, Southern-style green beans and bacon, roasted okra or Baked Sweet Potato Wedges.
🍜 Related Recipes
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Instant Pot Cajun Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 8 oz Andouille Sausage
- 5-6 Boneless Chicken Tenders chopped
- 1 Onion chopped
- 1 Green Pepper chopped
- 1 Yellow Pepper chopped
- 1 Red Pepper chopped
- 3 Ribs Celery chopped
- 2 Jalapenos diced seeds removed
- 1 tbsp. Minced Garlic
- 1 ½ cup Basmati Rice
- ½ tsp. Salt
- 2 tsp. Cajun Seasoning
- 2 Bay Leaves
- ½ tsp. Thyme
- 1 Can Diced Tomatoes 14 oz
- 2 cups Chicken Broth
- 20 oz Cooked Shrimp thawed shells removed
- 1 tablespoon Green Onions diced for garnish
Instructions
- Chop the onion, peppers, jalapenos, and celery. Next, slice the andouille sausage and cut the chicken tenders into bite-sized pieces.
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute and add the olive oil. Allow it to warm up for a few minutes. Add the chopped chicken tenders to the Instant Pot to brown. Brown for 3 minutes. Stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Turn the Instant Pot off. Add the chicken broth to the Instant Pot and deglaze.
- Add onion, peppers, celery, garlic, jalapenos, salt, Cajun seasoning, and thyme. Stir to mix the vegetables and seasoning.
- Add the rice and the can of tomatoes into your Instant Pot and stir to combine.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooker has finished cooking let it rest for 5 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.
- Carefully unlock the Instant Pot lid and stir the cooked shrimp and sausage into the Instant Pot using a slotted spoon.
- Replace the lid and let it rest for another 5 minutes. The residual heat will warm the sausage and shrimp.
- Serve your one-pot meal in a medium bowl and garnish with sprinkled green onions.
Nice recipes.........but...........how do I print them?
just press the print button on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 🙂