Sausage and chicken jambalaya is the perfect blend of Creole seasoning, onions, peppers, celery, sausage, chicken, and rice. Use the Instant Pot to prepare this meal in less time than the stove top version. Tender meats, flavorful veggies, and perfectly cooked rice every time!
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It’s rare that we make jambalaya, gumbo, or any Creole foods. Odd, too, because they are so tasty and always a hit. Since purchasing the Instant Pot, we’ve already made this sausage and chicken jambalaya more times than I can count, and gumbo is in the near future!
Don’t get me wrong, I love simmering a large pot of food on the stove top. It makes the house smell wonderful and imparts so much flavor.
The reality is, I don’t always have time.
On those days, when we want a hearty dinner but don’t have time to babysit a pot on the stove, we use the Instant Pot. It’s quick, easy, and very low maintenance.
That’s kind of how we decided to make jambalaya. John asked for it, but we’ve been so busy lately that I didn’t think we’d have time to make it stove top.
The Instant Pot was a lifesaver. We took the usual ingredients like sausage, chicken, onions, celery, peppers, tomatoes, and seasonings, and adapted the process. It worked perfectly!
How to Make Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya:
This recipe involves a lot of sauteing, so start by setting the Instant Pot to saute. Add the oil, sausage, and chicken. Stir until the chicken is white on the outside.
The chicken doesn’t have to be cooked through, just cooked on the outside. It will cook the rest of the way later in the process.
It only takes 3-5 minutes to cook the chicken. Then use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan.
Leave the Instant Pot on saute and add the onions, celery, and peppers. Cook just until they’re soft then add the garlic. Be careful not to overcook the garlic, or it will become bitter.
Add the Creole seasonings, bay leaves, and thyme. Carefully place the sausage and chicken back in the pot and top with rice, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper.
Give the jambalaya a quick stir, and close the lid. Make sure the valve is set to “sealing,” and set to high pressure (manual/pressure cook) for 10 minutes. Allow the Instant Pot to natural release before doing a quick release.
After the quick release, remove the lid and stir the jambalaya. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs, and add additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately!
Tips for a Successful Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya:
- To ensure that you don’t get a burn warning, make sure to scrape the bits from the bottom of the pot. Some brands of sausage have a higher fat content and are less likely to stick. If needed, add a touch of extra oil in the beginning steps to keep food from sticking. Here’s a great resource that gives some tips about how to avoid a burn message. If it looks like the ingredients are on the lower moisture side, add an extra 1/2 cup of broth.
- If you don’t have Creole seasoning, swap it out with equal amounts of Cajun seasoning. We use 1-2 tablespoons depending on the spiciness of the sausage. The important thing is to flavor it to your liking!
- To ensure even cooking, make sure the chicken and sausage are cut to similar sizes. The same goes for the vegetables.
- Many Instant Pot recipes are “dump and go” type recipes. We’ve made this one several times with no issues. However, if you’re worried about the burn warning (as mentioned above), check out the link listed in the first tip. The post covers how to layer the ingredients properly.
Have you tried our other Instant Pot Recipes?
- Spinach Dip
- Cheesy Hamburger Dip
- Deviled Eggs with Bacon
- White Rice
- Easy Beef Stroganoff
- Mac and Cheese
If you like this sausage and chicken jambalaya recipe, please leave us a comment and rate the recipe card. You can also find us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram searching for Berly’s Kitchen!
Sausage and chicken jambalaya is the perfect blend of Creole seasoning, onions, peppers, celery, sausage, chicken, and rice. Use the Instant Pot to prepare this meal in less time than the stove top version. Tender meats, flavorful veggies, and perfectly cooked rice every time!
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable or Canola Oil
- 12 Ounces Andouille Sausage (sliced into circular pieces)
- 1 Pound Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless, cut into 1 inch cubes)
- 1 Medium, Green Bell Pepper (diced)
- 1 Medium, White Onion (diced)
- 1 Medium Celery Stalk (chopped)
- 5 Garlic Cloves (chopped)
- 1 - 2 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning
- 3 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme (or substitute 1/2 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme; adjust to taste)
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 3/4 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 (14 Ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes (with juices)
- 1 Cup Long Grain White Rice
- Salt and Pepper (to taste)
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Set the Instant Pot to "Saute."
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Add the oil, sausage, and chicken. Use a wooden spoon to turn, while scraping the bottom of the Instant Pot. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the outside of the chicken is white.
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Remove the sausage and chicken and drain on paper towels.
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Add the onions, pepper, and celery stirring with the wooden spoon while scraping the bottom. Cook for about 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
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Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds while continuing to stir.
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Add the Creole seasoning, thyme, bay leaves, cooked sausage and chicken, rice, tomatoes, and broth. Stir to combine.
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Close the lid, make sure the valve is set to "sealing," and set Instant Pot to high pressure (manual/pressure cook) for 10 minutes.
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Allow the Instant Pot to natural release for 5 minutes before completing a quick release. Remove lid and stir.
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Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
*This recipe was made in a 6-quart Instant Pot.
*See the post for tips and best practices, specifically regarding how to avoid a burn warning.
Family and In-laws LOVED it!! Thanks!
Thank you, Eileen! We’re thrilled everyone enjoyed the jambalaya! Thank you for letting us know and rating the recipe. Have a lovely day 🙂
Used 1 tsp dried thyme, that is all I smelled when the lid was opened. Would cut it down to 1/2 or 1/4 tsp dried thyme. Otherwise, a great recipe. Dave.
Hi, Dave! Thanks so much for the feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed the recipe and will make a note in the recipe regarding the thyme. Enjoy your weekend! 🙂
I have a question can I use instant rice
Good Morning, Debbie, I wouldn’t recommend it with this recipe because the liquid amounts and cook times are for the rice listed in the recipe. Have a great day 🙂
Just made this substituting the sausage for chorizo and made my own creole seasoning using MARTHA Stewart’s since I doubt I can find the ready made stuff here in Malta Europe. Must say delishous xx
Thank you, Charlene! Kim and I are so happy you enjoyed the recipe. It’s also great you were able to find working substitutes, we understand it can be hard to find certain ingredients when you live in another country. Thank you again for coming back to leave a comment 🙂
Yum! Easy and delicious! I would also recommend cutting back on dried thyme… it is a bit much at 1 tsp, unless you really like it. My 2 year old loved it and hubby did, too (he added sriracha, which is a good idea for those who like it spicy).
We’re so happy that you and your family liked the jambalaya. Thanks for the feedback on the thyme. We love that your husband added sriracha for a little kick. Wonderful idea!
In the process of cooking it now. It smells fantastic but we kept getting the burn notice even after scraping the pot repeatedly. In an untried recipe there’s no way to know whether we have enough oil or liquid in the pot–we just have to trust the author–and one won’t know until it’s too late. In all honesty we’re still new to the Instant Pot and don’t know the ins and outs. This is our first burn notice. Desperate to salvage our investment in ingredients we’ve got the pot on Slow Cook and hope that the rice and chicken finish cooking. Is this one of those recipes where the ingredients should be added in order, like liquids and meat on the bottom and rice on the top rather than all combined? Any suggestions?
Hi Ken! I’m so sorry to hear to that you’ve gotten a burn notice on this one! Sounds like you’ve scraped the bottom which is great. The ingredients are initially layered just by adding them to the pot. I stirred them a bit to make sure the rice was covered in liquid instead of sitting on the top. It’s possible that one of the ingredients didn’t contain as much moisture as an ingredient that we used. I’d recommend adding a little more chicken broth if possible, maybe a 1/2 cup to a cup depending on the thickness of the jambalaya. Hope this helps and that you’re able to salvage the recipe.
This recipe is a keeper! I’ve been without a stove for almost two weeks. My Instant Pot Duo Plus has been a lifesaver. This jambalaya turned out perfect. The things I changed up were, I omitted the chicken, and made it andouille only, and mixed up my own Creole seasoning. I used dried thyme, about 1/2 Tsp. Seems pressure cooking makes dried spices a tad more potent..
Thanks for posting this. I’m definitely pinning this one!🙂
Thank you for commenting and sharing your experience with the recipe, Mare. Kim and I are glad you enjoyed the jambalaya and used your own twists to make it. We hope you decide to give some of our other recipes a try and we hope you get your stove back soon 🙂
Unfortunately I followed the steps to a tee, scraping and making certain nothing was sticking but 2 minutes into the cook time I got the burn notice so I just turned it off and finished it on the stove top. The recipe is good but as you mentioned different ingredients may have different moisture contents. I have made so much in my instant pot and been successful every time up to now so I am going to have to practice with this one. Thank you for posting the recipe. 🙂
Thank you for commenting, Lori. Have a good weekend 🙂
Can you freeze and store it?
Good Morning Kayla, that’s a great question. Kim and I have never frozen it for storage; however, I don’t think it would be a problem. Go ahead and give it try, it should be fine. Have a great day, Kayla!
Is there an option to add shrimp to this or would you recommend adding it cooked to the pot after it’s released?
Hi Adrienne! We haven’t tried this recipe using shrimp. If you decide to try it, I’d recommend making a tray/holder out of aluminum foil. Place the tray on top of the ingredients just before closing the lid. However, I’m not sure if the shrimp will overcook or become rubbery. It’s definitely worth a try. Great idea!
Sounds delicious! If I were to substitute brown rice would the cooking times be affected? Looking forward to making it this week!
Hi Chloe! Brown rice will take more liquid and additional cook time. We’ve never tried the jambalaya with brown rice, so unfortunately I’m unable to provide an exact amount of liquid. Here’s a post on a different site that has a great Instant Pot brown rice recipe that might be of some help. https://addapinch.com/instant-pot-brown-rice-recipe/ We hope you enjoy the dish! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
If I do not want to use the can of tomatoes how much more chicken broth do I add?
Good Morning Richard, that’s a great question. I had to do some research to find the answer. According to the links I found on Google, it looks like you may want to add about 3/4 to a 1 cup of additional chicken broth. I hope this information helps. Have a great day.
do you have to saute saute, peppers and onions first ?
Hi, Nan! No, you don’t have to saute them. As long as they’re added prior to closing the lid and cooking the jambalaya, it should be fine. 🙂 It’s whatever your preference.
Just to clarify, the sausage and chicken do need to be sauteed. I didn’t see it listed in the ingredients you mentioned but wanted to make sure there was no confusion.
We are so satisfied with our jambalaya tonight, thank you so much! My wife, in her wisdom, bought an Instant Pot Duo Mini (3 qt.) because we live in a small apartment with a very small kitchen. I am constantly on the lookout now for Duo Mini compatible Instant Pot recipes. Hello culinary friends on the internet, where are the Duo Mini recipes to be found? In any event, I thought that this one would be compatible and I was right. I matched every volume except I used no celery. My spouse doesn’t like too much spice so I used only 1 T of Tony Cachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, 8 oz. of which set me back $2 at our local Safeway! The pound of chicken and a packaged 11 oz. of Adouille Sausage (Silva Natural Smoked Andouille) came from the Whole Foods. The amount of liquid was just right, the cooking time was just right, the final result was just right! Our neighbor downstairs just lost her husband and when we found out how happy we were with our dinner we texted her and asked if she had eaten yet. The result: she kept what was left after consuming a good portion, and I may have to make this recipe again in a couple of days! Thanks again.
Thank you, Greg! Kim and I are thrilled the recipe worked for your Duo Mini. Additionally, we are happy to hear you, your wife, and your neighbor enjoyed the jambalaya. Thank you again for coming back to site to share your experience. Have a wonderful day, Greg!
I decreased the thyme to 1/4 teaspoon. I think I may omit it next time. Very good! Definitely enjoyed this dish. Thank you!
Thank you for commenting and sharing your modification, Diego! Kim and I are thrilled you liked the recipe. Have a wonderful Friday 🙂