I adapted this Instant Pot Jambalaya recipe from an authentic jambalaya recipe with spicy andouille sausage, chicken, shrimp, and rice. Flavored with Louisiana spices and cooked to perfection, it’s a delicious one pot meal that can be made in the pressure cooker or on the stovetop. Great for an easy dinner on busy weeknights or a special occasion!
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ℹ️ Introduction to Jambalaya
Nawlins. New Or-linz. New Or-leens. No matter how you pronounce it, if you’ve visited New Orleans, you have to agree that it’s one of the most historic and charming cities in the United States.
I feel it’s a city that everyone should have a chance to visit. I was introduced to New Orleans by a friend when we worked together at my first job right out of college. Mary was born and raised in New Orleans and I now realize how lucky I was to experience New Orleans (including Mardi Gras!) with a local girl.
I’ve been back to New Orleans since those early trips at different stages of my life, with different people, and the city never loses its charm. I just discover new things each time!
Some of my favorite dishes include Jambalaya, Etouffee, Red Beans and Rice, and Gumbo. Jambalaya is a hearty one pot meal made with rice, meat and seafood, similar to Spanish paella.
There are two types of Jambalaya. Creole, which includes tomatoes, and Cajun, which is made without tomatoes.
My version of Jambalaya includes tomatoes and is derived from a cookbook I’ve had in my possession forever, but have no idea when or where I got it!
It’s a tiny little cookbook a bit larger than a smart phone, written by chef Austin Leslie of the famed New Orleans restaurant Chez Helene, which closed in the 1990’s.
Hope you get to try out this Instant Pot Jambalaya. It’s a meal in one that doesn’t really need any side dish. It’s also a great dish to make for a group.
This recipe has over 150 reviews!
Patricia says ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I am originally from New Orleans, now living in California. Whenever I need a taste of home, this is my go to recipe. I leave out the tomato and it tastes just like my Cajun grandmother used to make it! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
And this recipe can easily be doubled! See the FAQs below for details.
➡ Looking for more rice recipes? Try my Instant Pot arroz con pollo, Lebanese lentils and rice (mujadara), or Instant Pot fried rice! They are all amazing.
Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Ingredients for Instant Pot Jambalaya
💡 Cook’s Tips for Jambalaya Recipe
🍖 Proteins: Use chicken, andouille, and shrimp as written, or customize the recipe. Try chicken-only, skip the shrimp, or make it a seafood jambalaya – lots of combinations!
🍗 Chicken: Thighs stay tender and flavorful in the Instant Pot, but chicken breast works too. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
🌭 Sausage: Andouille is traditional, but Spanish chorizo or Polish kielbasa works great. For this recipe, use smoked sausage, not raw, for that essential smoky flavor! Some readers use Aidell’s smoked chicken sausage.
🦐 Shrimp Prep: Always peel and devein shrimp so spices penetrate the meat for maximum flavor.
🫕 Shrimp Cooking Method: The shrimp can be cooked one of two ways: You can rub some Cajun seasoning over the shrimp and set aside for 15 minutes, then briefly saute and add at the end (as stated in the recipe). Or you can stir in the uncooked shrimp at the end and let it cook in residual heat with the Instant Pot covered, just add a couple of extra minutes. The advantage of adding it in at the end is that the shrimp juices get absorbed into the rice and thereís less of chance that the shrimp is dried out.
⚡ Work Fast: It’s important to add shrimp immediately after pressure releases to capture the maximum residual heat. The shrimp will steam perfectly in the hot rice. You may be skeptical, but it really does work!
🔒 Lid Closing Trick: If the Instant Pot lid won’t close after adding shrimp, set the steam release to the Venting position first. Once closed, switch back to Sealing – it may seal up again, and that’s perfectly fine!
📏 Shrimp Size: Extra-large or jumbo shrimp need 3-5 extra minutes in the covered pot. Smaller shrimp may need less time than suggested.
🍳 Alternative Method: Prefer to sauté shrimp with other proteins? Cook it with sausage and chicken at the beginning, do a natural pressure release for 10-15 minutes once the rice is done, and add the shrimp in at the end.
🍚 Rice: Use long-grain white rice or basmati for best results. Jasmine rice works too – just cook for 5 minutes instead. Brown rice needs 22-24 minutes but that may overcook your proteins.
🧂 Seasoning: Creole and Cajun spices are interchangeable. Go easy on salt if using extra seasoning or if your spice blend is already salty. Taste and adjust!
🍲 Seafood Stock: Try my Instant Pot Shrimp Stock instead of chicken stock for deeper seafood flavor. You’ll already have shrimp shells – why not use them?
🧅 Shallots: Skip the shallots if anyone in your family dislikes raw onions. The jambalaya tastes amazing either way!
❓ FAQS
Yes, you can double the recipe. Double all ingredients but keep the cooking time the same.
To make it spicier, add some cayenne pepper. You could add more Creole spice, but watch out for the salt. You can also serve it with tabasco sauce or other hot sauce on the side.
You have a few options:
– Substitute brown rice for long-grain rice and cook for about 24 minutes. Brown rice cooks for much longer than white rice, so the meats and vegetables could get a bit overcooked. However, many of my readers do it and like it.
– Use parboiled brown rice, and increase the original cooking time by a couple of minutes.
– Another option is to reduce the quantity of liquid in the recipe, pressure cook everything but the rice for a couple of minutes, and stir in cooked brown rice at the end.
Different models and sizes of pressure cookers can vary. If you find your rice is undercooked, add some more liquid and cook for a few extra minutes. Next time, add an extra tablespoon or two of liquid and pressure cook for 2 extra minutes.
Ensure you deglaze and scrape the bottom of the pot well before pressure cooking. Also, don’t stir the rice or tomatoes. Add them on top and gently press down to ensure the rice is submerged. If you’re still having issues, increase the liquid by ¼ cup. Find out how to food burn Instant Pot message.
⏲️ How to Make Authentic Jambalaya in the Instant Pot
- Thaw and thoroughly dry the shrimp with a paper towel.
- Rub creole spices all over the shrimp and reserve.
- Heat the Instant Pot in Saute mode. Once it has preheated, add oil to the inner pot and let it heat up.
- Add sausage slices and cook until browned, about 6 minutes.
- If the sausage browns too quickly, press Cancel until the Instant Pot cools down a bit, and press the Saute button again. Deglaze the bottom of the pot as needed with a tablespoon of broth.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage slices to a plate.
- Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Deglaze as needed.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Press Cancel to turn off the heat if the Instant Pot is too hot, and turn it back on when it’s cooled down a bit.
- Now add the holy trinity of Cajun cuisine (onions, bell peppers, celery) and garlic.
- Saute vegetables until the onion is translucent. The liquid released from the vegetables should be enough to deglaze the pan. If it’s not, add a few tablespoons of broth to deglaze the bottom of the pot and incorporate the brown bits. The bottom of the pot should be completely clean.
- Add thyme, Creole seasoning, salt, and Worcestershire sauce and stir to coat for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in broth and bay leaves.
- Stir in the reserved chicken and sausage.
- Add the tomatoes and gently spread them out with a spatula. Don’t stir.
- Add the rice and gently push down with a spatula till covered with broth. Don’t stir the rice mixture.
- Close the lid.
- Program the Instant Pot to pressure cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.
- The display will go from On to 7:00. The float valve will go up after a few minutes. The display will count down to 00:00.
- Do a quick release of pressure. Once the float valve goes down, the lid can be opened.
- Open the lid and add in shrimp.
- Using a spatula, stir up the rice mixture and nestle the shrimp in the rice.
- It’s important to work quickly so that too much steam doesn’t escape.
- Close the Instant Pot and allow the shrimp to finish cooking in the residual heat. If you have trouble closing the lid, move the steam release to the Vent position and then back to Seal after shutting the lid.
- After 10 minutes, open the Instant Pot and add parsley. Gently fluff the rice with a fork.
- Let the jambalaya rest (lid open) for 5 to 8 minutes before serving
- Serve with hot sauce on the side.
♨️ How to make jambalaya on the stovetop
- Season the shrimp with the creole seasoning and reserve.
- Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Saute the sausage and chicken separately, and remove.
- Saute the onions, bell peppers, and celery until the onions are translucent. Saute garlic until fragrant.
- Add the spices and saute briefly. Deglaze the bottom of the pan.
- Return the meats to the pot. Stir in the broth and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. You’ll need to add an extra cup of broth compared to the Instant Pot version of the recipe.
- Add in the rice.
- Bring to a boil, stir, reduce heat to low, and cover. Don’t stir again.
- Let the rice simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through.
- Add the shrimp to the rice and allow the shrimp to cook through.
- Once the shrimp is cooked, open the pot and garnish.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Easy Instant Pot Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 lb. shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning or to taste
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 12 oz. Andouille sausage (340 grams) cut into ½ inch slices
- 12 oz. boneless skinless chicken thighs (340 grams) cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 cup bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste *
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth (3 cups for stovetop version)
or homemade Instant Pot Shrimp Stock
- 2 small bay leaves or 1 large
- 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes (411 grams)
- 1 ½ cups long grain white rice
- 2 tablespoon parsley chopped, to garnish
- ½ cup shallots thinly sliced – optional
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- Dry 1 lb. shrimp with a paper towel, rub with 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning and set aside.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Press 'Saute' and add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Once the oil is hot, add the 12 oz. Andouille sausage and cook until browned, about 6 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a medium bowl and set aside. If the sausage browns too quickly, press ‘Cancel’ until the Instant Pot cools down a bit and press the ‘Saute’ button again. Deglaze as needed with a tablespoon of broth.
- Add 12 oz. boneless skinless chicken thighs to the inner pot, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the bowl containing the sausage, and set aside. If the chicken browns too quickly, press ‘Cancel’ until the Instant Pot cools down a bit and press the ‘Saute’ button again. Deglaze as needed with a tablespoon of broth.
- Add 1 cup onion, 1 cup bell pepper, 1 cup celery, and 1 tablespoon garlic. Stir until onion is translucent. The liquid released from the vegetables should be enough to deglaze the pan. If it's not, add a tablespoon or more of broth to deglaze.
- Add 1 teaspoon dried thyme, remaining Creole seasoning, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce and stir to coat, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in 2 cups low sodium chicken broth and 2 small bay leaves. Make sure there's nothing stuck to the bottom of the inner pot – deglaze as needed.
- Stir in the reserved sausage and chicken.
- Add the 14.5 oz. diced tomatoes (with the liquid) and spread out with a spatula, but don't stir.
- Add the 1 ½ cups long grain white rice and gently push down with a spatula till immersed in the liquid, but don't stir in.
- Close the lid and pressure cook on High Pressure for 7 minutes. **
- Do a quick release of pressure (QR) and open the lid. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods].
- Carefully stir in shrimp. Take care to not allow too much steam to escape because the shrimp will cook in the residual heat.
- Close the Instant Pot and allow the shrimp to finish cooking in the residual heat for about 10 minutes. Jumbo shrimp may require an additional 5 minutes. If you have trouble closing the lid, move the steam release to 'Vent', close the lid, and move it back to 'Seal'.
- Open the Instant Pot and add 2 tablespoon parsley. Gently stir the jambalaya. Allow the Instant Pot jambalaya to rest for a few minutes. Garnish with ½ cup shallots, if using.
- Serve with hot sauce on the side.
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat on the stovetop. Add the oil and heat until the oil is hot and shimmering.
- Add andouille sausage, and saute until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a medium bowl and set aside. Repeat with the chicken.
- Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Add more oil as needed. Stir until onion is translucent. The liquid released from the vegetables should be enough to deglaze the pot. If it's not, add a tablespoon or more of broth to deglaze.
- Add thyme, remaining Creole seasoning, salt, worcestershire sauce and stir to coat, about 30 seconds.
- Add the broth, bay leaves, reserved meats, and diced tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add rice to the pot. Stir just until combined and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Don’t stir again.
- Let the rice simmer for 25 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked through. If you find it sticking, add some more broth.
- Add the seasoned shrimp to the rice, stirring gently so that the shrimp is nestled in the rice. Allow the shrimp to cook through (about 5 to 7 minutes).
- Once the shrimp is cooked, open the pot and sprinkle with parsley and shallots (optional). Serve with hot sauce on the side.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. cut up chicken, chopped onion, etc.
- * Quantity of salt will depend on your Cajun seasoning. If it’s more salty, go easy on the extra salt.
- ** I find that 7 minutes is perfect. However, some people find the rice to be undercooked at 7 minutes. This could be due to variations in pressure cooker models and brands of rice. Modify the recipe to add an extra 2 minutes to the cooking time if you experience this.
- If you prefer, you can very briefly saute the shrimp at the beginning and remove. I find that adding the raw shrimp at the end allows the juices to get absorbed by the rice, without the shrimp drying out.
- This recipe has been modified from the original publication version: tomatoes and rice are layered on top without stirring in to avoid the Burn Message.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Dee Mellinger says
I did a Google search to find a jambalaya recipe for our Instant Pot and chose this one. SO glad I did. It is spot on and fabulous. A definite “keeper” in our kitchen!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Dee – thank you for your kind words. I’m happy to help!
Katie C says
My Instant Pot will be here Wednesday and I am so excited! Your jambalaya recipe looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it. If I wanted to make this without the tomatoes, should I add extra broth? If so, how much? Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Katie – I think you might be fine without the extra broth, but you can add maybe 2 extra tablespoons if you wanted to be safe. Good luck!
Mike says
I tried this recipe last night and had the same problem some of the previous comments mentioned… it burned on the bottom of the pot and didn’t cook. I always try to read the comments before trying a new recipe, and I have had this same problem a couple of times before on other recipes, so I was careful to check the seal and to deglaze the bottom of the pot before I started the pressure cooking faze. I watched the pot while it was trying to pressurize and the vent never sealed before starting the countdown. After 7 minutes I did a “Quick Release”, and of course there was no pressure to release. The bottom of the pot was burned, so I scraped it clean with a wooden spoon again, then added another cup of broth and tried it again… same result. I finally finished it on the stove… very good, even though the rice was a little too wet. I checked other Instant Pot Jambalaya recipes and found one where the author of the recipe said he had the same problem until he remembered from prior recipes that rice absorbs water very fast, so he dropped the rice to from 1.5 cups to 1 cup, deglazed with 1 cup white wine then added 2 cups of broth before starting the “Manual” phase and it came out fine I’m going to try this recipe again in a couple of weeks because it was so good, but this time I’m going to sautee the ingredients in a pan on the stove and add more liquid to the pot… I’m thinking that the pot was so hot from the sautee phase that it caused the rice to absorb all the liquid so it burned the rice on the bottom before it could pressurize?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Mike – thanks for such a detailed comment! I’ve been trying to ask other commenters what type of Instant Pot they have when they post this problem, but have had a hard time hearing back from them! It’s a fairly new problem that’s come up recently. I think it has something to do with the model of Instant Pot, maybe? I make this recipe often and I know many who’ve made it with no problem. I’m a bit stumped as to why some people have issues. It’s a shame that you’d have to saute on the stove.
If you don’t mind answering some questions, I’d love to know:
– did you rinse the rice?
– what type of rice did you use?
– did you add the tomato with liquid?
– What model do you have – by chance an 8 quart?
Mike says
Didn’t rinse the rice; used long grain white rice; added the liquid with the tomatoes; can’t find anything on the Instant Pot that says what size it is (gift from one of my daughters a couple of years ago), but it takes 16 cups (4 qts) to get to the “Max” full mark (unless my measuring cup is wrong–the marks for cups on the inside of the Instant Pot doesn’t agree with my measuring cup!). I do know that the chicken and rice recipe I use calls for 3 cups of broth for 1.5 cups of rice, and it comes out fine–the more I thought about it though, with the bottom of the pot so hot from the sautee phase, it would make sense that because rice absorbs water so fast when you introduce heat that it might cause it to burn on the bottom before it can pressurize. Maybe with a bigger pot the ingredients are more spread out, allowing the broth to penetrate to the bottom faster. I do know that the pot was so full (not to the “Max” mark, but about ¾ full) that the liquid seemed to be absorbing as I put it in. So you know, I did everything according to the recipe, including weighing the chicken and sausage on a scale—I don’t think it’s fair to the author of a recipe to tweak the recipe and then rate it, so I always try to do it according to the original recipe the first time, then tweak it to my own preferences later. I don’t know—strange that it came out perfect for so many and not for others… but it was really good anyway!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hey Mike – It sounds like you might have a point. If you’d be willing to try it again, you can try the following changes:
– add spices to onion celery mixture but not rice. Turn off IP
– deglaze
– add broth, meats, bay leaves, worcestershire and stir
– then add tomatoes with liquid, and rice but don’t stir; just push down so rice is submerged
– pressure cook as usual
You could, in addition, rinse the rice and increase your liquid by 1/4 cup if you don’t want to take any chances! Also, it sounds like you have the 6 quart which is what I use for this recipe. And the Instant Pot cup measurement is for the Asian rice measurements which are different. Thanks again for taking the time to comment and I’d love to hear back if you end up making it again.
Mike says
Thanks for the swift advice (and for the info about the cup marks on the inside of the pot–I’ve been scratching my head trying to figure out why my measuring cups don’t equal the ones in the pot)…I’ll try your suggestions when I try the recipe again in a couple of weeks… I’ll let you know how it comes out.
Mike Jones says
3/5/18: Well, I got an 8 qt Instant Pot as a birthday present. This is the first recipe I’ve made in it and I was anxious to see if making the changes you suggested would eliminate the burn factor. I decided to do the browning and sautéing in my cast iron skillet so the Instant Pot would be cool when I put the rice in, and I added a little more chicken broth. Came out great… delicious! The only problem I had with your suggestions was the 8 qt is so large that if you don’t stir the rice in it’s sitting high & dry—so I had to stir it—but it didn’t matter because it came out fine.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Ahhh, I think one of the things you did right was sauteing in the skillet and that may have helped eliminate the burn issue. However, that kind of defeats the purpose of the Instant Pot multi cooker feature, where you’re supposed to do it all in one pot, right? See if this works next time – try and saute in the IP, turn it off and let it cool down – even remove the inner pot so it cools down quicker. I borrowed a friend’s newer 8 quart and this is the one change I made and didn’t get the burn error – I too stirred everything in. I also made sure I completely deglazed really well. Each IP seems to have its own personality 🙂
Mike says
I really don’t get too hung up about doing it all in “one pot”… if you sauté it in the skillet you don’t have to wait for the Instant Pot to cool down—but I understand that you have a lot of readers out there who want to do it all in one pot. After the experience I had back in January with my 5 qt Instant Pot, I figured the problem was either the Instant Pot was too hot when I put in the rice, or it burned on the bottom and didn’t cook on the top because it was so full in the little 5 qt pot, or there wasn’t enough liquid. So, I decided if I sautéed everything in the skillet and it still burned, then that would eliminate the “hot pot’ theory. Also, I added a little more broth this time and it came out a little wetter than I would have preferred (which settled the question in my mind of whether it burned last time because there wasn’t enough liquid), so I think next time I’ll go with the original recipe recommended amount of liquid. It sure was good…everyone loved it and the leftovers were just as good if not better… great recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Great – that was my experience as well. I’ve been testing out the recipe in new models and I found that letting it cool down made a huge difference. I’ll be posting a blog post in the next couple of days about the burn.
david says
for the tomatoes with liquid, do i pour the liquid in the pot too or do i strain? thanks!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi David – thanks for your question; yes, you’ll pour in the liquid too.
Barb says
Just curious, Howe would you adjust time if I used parboiledlong grain rice?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Barb, I’ve never used parboiled rice in the Instant Pot so I can’t say for sure, but I’ve heard from people that they cook parboiled rice on the ‘Rice’ setting (which is LOW pressure) for 10 minutes. If you try it out, do let me know how it works out for you.
Janet says
Unfortunately this was my first Instant Pot fail…..sort of. It turned out alright in the end. My pot would not come up to pressure. I made certain there was nothing stuck to the bottom of the pot before sealing it up. I think there was just not enough liquid for this recipe. For the first time ever, my pot starting counting down the time without being at pressure. I opened it up, stirred it up and closed it again. Again, it would not come to pressure. So, I tasted the rice. It seemed 90% done so I stirred in the shrimp, put the lid on and set the timer for 10 minutes. Everything was done, the rice and shrimp were perfect and the spice was spot on. We loved it! However, I think next time I’ll just follow the recipe to adding the rice and liquid, put it all in a large covered casserole dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. Also, it took far more than 15 minutes to prep this recipe and I’m very efficient in the kitchen. This struck me as one of those recipes where each step would go quickly so I chopped, diced and measured everything in preparation. I would guess I spent more like 45 minutes prepping everything and sauteeing the sausage and chicken and veggies. Still, worth it though to get this authentic flavor. We loved it! Just beware that your pot may not come to pressure unless you add more liquid. Hubby grew up in New Orleans and totally approved this recipe.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Janet – I’m glad you liked the flavor, but sorry you had trouble with sealing for the first time! I just made this a couple of weeks ago for my family following the exact recipe. Since you said the pot was deglazed, I agree with you that you probably didn’t have enough liquid. It’s really hard to troubleshoot individual cases because there can be so many variables e.g. the type of rice (I generally use basmati), if part of liquid was used to deglaze the pot and hence evaporated, if any of the ingredients were substituted or maybe reduced in quantity (e.g. since vegetables release some liquid). Feel free to either respond here or through my contact page if you want to troubleshoot further. I’d love it if you were to have success with this recipe in the IP 🙂 Regarding the prep time, please see my about page on how I calculate prep time for the sake of consistency (i.e. the ingredient list determines the prep time) Thank you for taking the time to comment in detail, and I’m especially glad a Louisianan liked it!
Chris says
Just made this recipe and it came out perfect. If I wanted to add scallops when would be the best time to add them ?
Also, if I added the scallops I would remove the chicken. Would I need to make any adjustments to the recipe?
Thank you for this wonderful dish!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Chris, I’ve had readers cook the scallops separately and add in at the end. If you’re omitting the chicken you can leave the cook time as is. If you’re up for experimenting, you could try this: pressure cook the rice and other ingredients for 5 minutes, do a quick release, add in the scallops (seared or just spice-rubbed) and pressure cook for 2 minutes, quick release. Do let me know if what you end up trying. And thanks for the comment 🙂
Joyce Walker says
This was amazing! My favorite instant pot recipe to date! Thank you thank you
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Joyce – thanks for letting me know; your comment is much-appreciated 🙂 !
Carla Spence says
Loved it! Great recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Carla – thank you!
Brenda says
I made this tonight, but i only had jasmine rice. Rice turned out mushy. Husband doesn’t like mushy food, but he stull went for seconds, so i guess thats a good sign. Lol. I think the liquid i had was more than your pictures because of the canned tomatoes, which probably vary in their liquid-to-tomato ratio. Next time i would use fresh tomatoes.
Also, after using the instant pot a few time now, instant pot invariably does not mean instant prepare. Took me forever to peel and devein 40 shrimp.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Brenda, Jasmine rice does quick faster than other rice like Basmati. So if you were to do it again, you’ll want to decrease cooking time by 2 minutes. Yes, the Instant Pot is not Instant 🙂 I buy the deveined shrimp – too much work otherwise! But isn’t it great to not have to watch over the pot on the stove? That’s the biggest benefit, for me at least. Good point about the tomatoes – never thought of that! Thanks for checking in.
Caroline says
Could I use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs? I can’t wait to make this dish!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Yes, Caroline, you sure can – hope you enjoy it!
Connie Wells says
Just bought my IP, still in the box. I have left over rice and some chicken thighs to cook, as well as shrimp and andouille sausage on hand. So went searching for a recipe. Came to the right place. But my rice is already cooked, so just need to reheat, how much chicken broth do I use so this recipe won’t be too wet, as described in previous comments?,
My husband was very skeptical when I brought in yet another appliance…So I am out to prove its versatility in making quality, tasty meals. Many thanks for the tutorials and recipes.
Connie
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Connie, I haven’t tried this so I can’t guarantee that you won’t have some extra liquid, but I would go through all steps except: omit rice and replace 2 cups broth with 1/2 cup broth, cook for 4 minutes, release pressure, open, stir in shrimp and cooked rice, close the Instant Pot and let shrimp finish cooking and let rice absorb some of the liquid. However, I recommend that your first dish (to prove the IP to your hubby 🙂 ) be an exact recipe, since the Instant Pot can require some precision.
Bill Pouelson says
Hi
I left a comment yesterday about gumbo using tomatoes. I am going to do
your recipe without the tomatoes I am also going to do your recipe for
jambalaya also with out the tomatoes. I would like to cook a little more authentic
down to earth real food. I like the simpleness of the cajun way. By using the instant pot
I can get results quicker. When I started to cook I always did Italian. Real fresh
ingredients and not to complicated. So here goes will let you know how it all turns out
Bill
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Yes, please do let me know how it goes. Enjoy!
Becky Purvis says
I just found your blog this evening and now it’s the middle of the night and I’m still reading recipes and drooling over your Jambalaya and New Orleans Gumbo. Holy Cow! Do they ever look good!!! I’m as happy as the next cook to have one-pot, easy meals, but there’s also days that call for the kind of dinner that uses lots of ingredients and plenty of work. There is something truly wonderful about sitting down for dinner with people you love and offering them the fruits of your labor. I hope you don’t think I’m being sacrilegious if I say that it comes close to being a family sacrament.
My husband and I discovered that we enjoy cooking together and I’m pretty sure, southern boy that he is, that he’ll be very excited to try this! Our sons will be equally happy to come over and help us eat it. LOL!
Thank you for sharing your recipes and the lovely write ups that go along with them. I’m looking forward to trying many of them out and enjoying your blog!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Becky, thank you for the kind words! I am so glad you’ve found me and I hope you get a chance to try out the recipes. You’re right – cooking a meal for the family and eating together is a very special thing. Sounds like you’ve got your priorities in the right place!
Ginna B. says
When I make this on the stove top, I always start with a roux (and yes, it takes forever and a day). Is there a way to do it in the instant pot? I’d love to try this recipe, but I really love the roux, too. Is there a way to do this?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Ginna – so I do use a roux for my Gumbo recipe. And I have no problem with doing that as long as I add enough water as described in the recipe. My concern about using a roux for the jambalaya is that you’re also adding in rice and that is starchy and will also absorb most of the liquid which might cause your roux to scorch on the bottom. If you add extra water, you’ll have a wet jambalaya which may not be ideal! My only other suggestion would be use the gumbo technique and make the jambalaya and rice separately and then mix together at the end?
Amy K. says
Very flavorful and tasty recipe! Thank you!
I am surpised mine turned out as well as it did because my pot didn’t come to pressure! My rice stuck/burnt to the bottom. I stirred and scraped the bottom to free up the rice, then tried again for 2 more minutes (didn’t add anything since there was still liquid). Still didn’t come to pressure, but rice was cooked, it was just a wet jambalaya. So it essentially simmer for 20-30 minutes. Tasted delicious and my husband loved it. Any thoughts on how to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom? Do you always stir, or perhaps I could layer and keep the rice and tomatoes higher in the pot to prevent them from sticking. Do you rinse your rice?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hey Amy, I’m sorry the rice stuck but glad you ended up salvaging it! I’ve never had my rice stick to the bottom when I make this jambalaya. Could it be that you didn’t deglaze enough? It’s important that the bottom of the pot is clear of stuck meat or food before you begin cooking. To answer your questions: I don’t rinse my rice for this recipe (but do rinse when I make plain rice). I do stir everything together before pressure cooking. Hope you give it a try again with better luck. Thanks for commenting!
Amy K. says
To be honest, there was a lot of liquid in the bottom after sauteing, so the only declaring needed was after the sausage, and the chicken juices took carr of that. Do you saute on high or medium? I started with medium for the sausage, but bumped it up to high at the end of the chicken, maybe that had things too hot. I’ll definitely give it another try…its so good. Eating leftovers for lunch, as we speak.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Amy, if you deglazed and you had plenty of water, then I feel your IP didn’t reach pressure because of how your sealing ring was sitting? Maybe just a one-off? I usually use medium for saute setting.
Have you seen my post about the IP not sealing? Keep in touch!
Madonna Ysais says
Interestingly enough, I ran into the same issue where the IP didn’t come to pressure. Strange. This is the first time after making several dishes in IP that this has happened. I checked the sealing ring and don’t see any issue.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Madonna – that is strange. I can’t figure out why that would happen. When you cook the same rice plain, what ratio of rice:water do you use? I feel it’s the quantity of liquid, which for whatever reason is less for you than for me and others. If you try it again, increase the broth to 2 1/4. Sorry you had trouble 🙁
Elizabeth says
Hi there! This looks delicious! If I omit the shrimp, do I still need to let the pot sit for 10 mins after the quick release?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Elizabeth, if you omit the shrimp just do a 10 minute NPR (i.e. Natural Pressure Release for 10 minutes and then release any remaining pressure manually.) Hope you enjoy the recipe. I just made it last week – very yummy! 🙂
JIM says
Hello,
I want to first state that you really know how to write a recipe. Very refreshing.
So much so, that I will make this shortly for a bunch (12) of golf guys on a trip to the Outer Banks.
My only question is, was the andouille already cooked? I have the option of both.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Jim – thanks so much for the very kind words. I do use cooked andouille but I think you will be fine with either, since you’re sauteing small pieces. A word of advice – if you’re making a large quantity, you might need to do it in two batches since you don’t want to go over the 1/2 mark for rice. Not sure what size Instant Pot you have. Enjoy your trip – great place to visit!
deena says
This sounds awesome, however I don’t eat rice. I know crazy right? So without rice would I adjust the cooking time? If so to what?
Thanks so much!!!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Deena! If you kept all the ingredients (and size of cut) the same, you can cook for about 4 minutes on high pressure. You might want to reduce the broth quantity if you don’t want it to be too soupy. Maybe serve with cauliflower rice? Thanks for your comment.
Beatrice says
Made this today: Fast and flavorful, turned out perfect. I have been using a slow-cooker jambalaya recipe for a few years, but now that I have an Insta Pot I wanted to switch. This was on point and will replace my slow-cooker recipe to be in my regular rotation. Thank you!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Beatrice – thanks for your comment! I hardly use my slow cooker anymore. And I don’t use the slow cooker function on the Instant Pot either. For the most part, every slow cooker recipe can be pressure cooked. So much faster and no need to clean multiple pots either. Check out the gumbo recipe I just posted, you might like that one too.