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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!
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, pork chops with gravy, and wild rice and mushroom soup.
John asked for the jambalaya, 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 Instant Pot Jambalaya:
This recipe involves a lot of sautéing, so start by setting the Instant Pot to sauté. 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 sauté 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:
What’s the best way to avoid a burn notice?
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 or if your Instant Pot is bad about burning rice, add an extra 1/2 to 1 cup of broth from the start. Some readers report adding the extra broth and have had great results.
Additionally, if you are making this in an 8-quart, add 1 cup of extra broth. We also recommend layering the food beginning with the sauteed vegetables, add the meat next, then the rice, pour in the broth, and pour the tomatoes in last.
This will change up the way the ingredients are cooked, and you may need to cook the ingredients in batches. It may require a touch of extra broth, too, since the broth will sink below the rice.
What’s a substitution for Creole seasoning?
If you don’t have Creole seasoning, swap it out with equal amounts of Cajun seasoning. However, the Cajun seasoning tends to be a bit spicy. We use 1-2 tablespoons depending on the spiciness of the sausage.
The important thing is to flavor it to your liking! This also goes for the other seasonings like thyme and salt.
Please use your best judgment. We used the amount that worked for our friends and family. It may not be the same for your household.
Do you add uncooked rice to jambalaya?
Yes. The rice we used was long grain white rice. It was uncooked when we put it into the Instant Pot.
Can you freeze jambalaya?
Yes. We recommend freezing jambalaya in double plastic zip bags, so it will lay flat. It will keep for about 2 months if properly packaged.
Freezing does change the texture and taste slightly.
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Instant Pot Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya
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!
Ingredients
- 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
- 1 Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 (14 Ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes, (with juices)
- 1 Cup Long Grain White Rice
- Salt and Pepper , (to taste)
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to "Saute."
- 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.
- Remove the sausage and chicken and drain on paper towels.
- 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.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds while continuing to stir.
- Add the Creole seasoning, thyme, bay leaves, cooked sausage and chicken, rice, tomatoes, and broth. Stir to combine.
- Close the lid, make sure the valve is set to "sealing," and set Instant Pot to high pressure (manual/pressure cook) for 10 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to natural release for 5 minutes before completing a quick release. Remove lid and stir.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
*This recipe was made in a 6-quart Instant Pot. We have not tested it in another size pressure cooker. However, according to the Instant Pot website, the 8-quart model requires significantly more liquid in order to come to pressure. Please add 1 cup additional liquid if using an 8-quart model.
*The ingredients have been adjusted after feedback from readers to increase the broth amount from 3/4 cup to 1 cup.
*See the post for tips and best practices, specifically regarding how to avoid a burn warning.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 0.5 CupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 337Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 533mgCarbohydrates: 21gSugar: 1gProtein: 22g
Lindsay L.
Saturday 16th of January 2021
I love this Jamabalaya, definitely the best I’ve ever had!
I did learn to reduce the Creole seasoning to no more than 1 TBSP. It’s too salty for my taste with 2 TBSP.
John
Sunday 17th of January 2021
Good Morning Lindsay, we're glad to hear you enjoyed the jambalaya. Completely understandable, what's considered seasoned to some, is over seasoned to others. Thank you for coming back to comment on the recipe card. Have a lovely day! :)
Michelle Murphy
Monday 5th of October 2020
I’m super excited about trying this recipe and wanted to ask a question about the rice. Can I use instant rice? Thank you
John
Tuesday 6th of October 2020
Good Morning Michelle, that's a good question. Unfortunately, due to the cook time (and release time), the instant rice would probably turn to mush. We don't recommend instant rice for this recipe. However, if you decide to try it anyway, let us know how it turns out. If it works, that would be great news :) Thank you for coming by to ask the question. Kim and I hope you have a lovely day!
Shelly
Sunday 26th of July 2020
Hi there! I’m so excited to make this next week. I need to make it for 10-12 ppl, but not sure how to adjust the cooking time...any tips? I’m new to Insta Pot cooking! ?
Kimberly
Sunday 26th of July 2020
Hi Shelly!
There's no need to adjust the cooking time. However, please be careful about doubling the recipe. Make sure there is enough liquid for the rice (usually double the amount listed plus 1/4 - 1/2 cup). Also, don't go over the "max fill" line in the stainless steel liner. We used a 6-quart Instant Pot for the recipe. If you're using an 8-quart, it needs more liquid just to pressurize. Don't forget to check out the tips in the post and the comments from other readers. There's a ton of information about layering the ingredients vs. not layering and how to avoid a burn warning. :) John and I hope you enjoy the jambalaya! Have a wonderful week!
Khlia
Saturday 20th of June 2020
My family loves this dish I have made it more times than I can count!!!! Some substitutions I do is once it’s don’t but still hot I put one cup frozen okra and one cup thawed cooked shrimp stir and re seal. Also my family likes more veggies but aren’t a fan of steamed veggies we like more crisp... so I roasted some broccoli and cauliflower in the salad oven then mixed in after my okra and shrimp were warm... makes the dish more healthy and last longer... my husband loves it cuz he brings the leftovers to work
John
Sunday 21st of June 2020
Thank you, Khlia, Kim and I are glad you and your family enjoy the jambalaya! The substitutions you mentioned sound like they work well in the dish. Thank you again for coming back to comment on the recipe. We hope you have a lovely day :)
Donovan
Thursday 30th of April 2020
Made this recipe for dinner tonight. Used chicken andouille sausage and seasoned boneless, skinless chicken thighs with salt, pepper, & Mrs. Dash prior to sauteing. Substituted homemade turkey broth and cajun seasoning, but otherwise followed instructions. Resulting meal was delicious! Will definitely be making this again. Thanks for an easy, flavorful dish.
John
Friday 1st of May 2020
Thank you Donovan! Kim and I glad you enjoyed the jambalaya. Those substitutions sound great. Thank you again for coming back to comment on and rate the recipe card. Have a great day!