This easy Instant Pot Jambalaya is the BEST! It has chicken breast and cajun sausage for a wonderful flavor, and you can easily add shrimp. All your Jambalaya questions are also answered, so don’t miss this one.
What is Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a somewhat spicy dish that comes from Louisiana. The usual ingredients in Jambalaya are chicken, Andouille sausage, shrimp, vegetables and rice. Sometimes crawfish are added as well.
If you’ve never made Instant Pot Jambalaya before, you’re in for a treat! Pressure cooking the ingredients adds a lot of flavor in a little amount of time. It takes about 15 minutes of prep and 20 minutes of cooking time.
Is Jambalaya Creole or Cajun?
Jambalaya has both Creole and Cajun versions. The Creole version has tomatoes while the Cajun version doesn’t, and the ingredients are also cooked in a different order. Creole Jambalaya is also sometimes known as “red jambalaya”.
What’s the difference between Jambalaya and Gumbo?
Gumbo and Jambalaya are very close in terms of their ingredients. The difference is that Gumbo is more of a soup or stew that’s served over rice. Jambalaya is cooked with the rice to make more of a one-pot, casserole type dish.
How long does it take to cook Jambalaya?
Authentic Jambalaya takes about 2 hours of cooking time. This Instant Pot Jambalaya takes approximately just 20 minutes!
Can you make Jambalaya ahead of time?
You can make Jambalaya ahead of time, but for the best results, I recommend serving it right away.
If you want to make this Instant Pot Jambalaya in advance, my suggestion is to have the ingredients prepped and measured out. Because it only takes 10 minutes of actual cooking time (not including the time for your Instant Pot to come to pressure), you can add everything to the pot and have it ready when you are.
Can I add shrimp to this Instant Pot Jambalaya?
Yes, you can! The tricky part about shrimp and the Instant Pot is how quickly shrimp cooks. Because of this, use large shrimp and add them frozen.
What foods go well with Jambalaya?
Cornbread is a great choice, as well as a simple salad. Any southern veggie side dish would also be great, like collard greens or okra, or even a creamed corn.
If you’re serving dessert, choose one from the South! Pecan pie, bread pudding, bananas foster or even homemade beignets are all great choices.
Instant Pot Jambalaya
With just 15 minutes prep time and 20 minutes cooking time, this will be the easiest (and tastiest) Jambalaya you've ever made!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 12-oz package andouille sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 celery ribs, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
- 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained (use regular diced tomatoes if you can't find fire-roasted)
- 1/2 tsp coarse salt
- 2 green onions or 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Press "sauté" on your Instant Pot. Add 1 tbsp of oil, and when it's shimmering, add the sausage. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally until they're browned on both sides. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon.
- Add the chicken and cook just until it's starting to brown. Remove the chicken and add the green pepper, onion, celery, garlic, Cajun seasoning, and basil. Stir well to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot (this is important or your Instant Pot may not come to pressure). Cook for about two minutes (you can pour in a small amount of the chicken stock after two minutes if there are still browned bits on the bottom of the pot; this makes it really easy).
- Add the broth, rice, tomatoes, salt, and reserved chicken and sausage to the pot, in that order and don't stir.
- Press "manual" on your Instant Pot and make sure the pressure is set to "high". Place the lid on the pot and set the valve to "sealing". Set the timer for 5 minutes.
- When the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes, then finish releasing the pressure by turning the valve to "release".
- Carefully open the lid, fluff the rice with a fork and transfer to a serving dish. Top with the chopped green onions or parsley and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 561Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 100mgSodium: 1760mgCarbohydrates: 30gNet Carbohydrates: 26gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 34g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.
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