Instant Pot Jambalaya

Step by Step Guide: Instant Pot Jambalaya

Prepare the ingredients for cooking Jambalaya in Instant Pot.

No Andouille Sausage? Kielbasa sausages or any smoky pork sausages will work with this jambalaya recipe.

Shrimps: We used large shrimps for this jambalaya recipe (16/20 tiger prawns). If you can’t get any shrimps at this time, you can skip it.

• Thaw Frozen Shrimps: You can thaw your frozen shrimps by submerging them under cold running tap water for a few minutes.

*Rinsing Rice Pro Tip: If you are rinsing your rice, make sure to drain it well!

Tools for Instant Pot Jambalaya

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Wooden Spoon

Brown Chicken & Shrimps in Instant Pot

First, press “Saute” button to “Sauté More” function to heat up Instant Pot. It will switch to “ON” on the screen.

Wait until it says “HOT” on the screen (takes roughly 8 minutes).

*Pro Tip: Make sure Instant Pot is as hot as it can be in order to induce a maillard reaction.

Now, add 1 tbsp unsalted butter + 1 tbsp olive oil in Instant Pot (you can also use 2 tbsp olive oil).

Pat dry the chicken thighs with a paper towel, then season one side of the chicken thighs with kosher salt and black pepper.

Place 1¼ lb (565g) chicken thighs on one side of the Instant Pot (seasoned side face down) and shrimps on the other side of Instant Pot, then brown them for 3.5 minutes.

Season the other side of chicken thighs and shrimps with salt and black pepper. Flip the chicken and shrimps, then brown this side for another 3.5 minutes.

Now, set aside the browned chicken thighs, then saute the shrimps for another 30 seconds – 1 minute.

Finally, set aside the shrimps to be used after pressure cooking because they’re already fully cooked at this point.

Saute Sausages

Add 1lb (454g) sliced sausages in Instant Pot, then saute for 3 minutes. 

Saute Onions & Spices

Add diced onions, green bell peppers, and celery in Instant Pot, then saute for 2 minutes. 

Add in minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp (5.8g) tomato paste, ¼ tsp (0.2g) dried thymes, ¼ tsp (0.25g) dried oregano, 1 tsp (3g) smoked paprika, and ½ – 1 tsp (1.2g – 2.4g) cayenne pepper, then saute for another minute.

*Spicy Level Tip: adjust how much cayenne pepper to add depending how spicy you want your jambalaya to be. We used ½ tsp (1.2g) cayenne pepper and it was somewhere between mild & medium spicy.

Deglaze Instant Pot & Add Soy Sauce

Now, pour ½ cup (125ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot (as shown in below photo).

*Pro Tip: Make sure to deglaze really well for this jambalaya recipe!

Add 1.5 tbsp (22.5ml) regular soy sauce in Instant Pot, then give it a quick mix.

Pressure Cook Jambalaya

Push all ingredients to one side, then add the browned chicken thighs with all its meat juice back in the Instant Pot.

Then add 2 cups (440g) well drained jasmine rice in Instant Pot.

*Pro Tip: Make sure to add the chicken in Instant Pot first and then the rice on top to avoid the “Burn” error (as shown in photo below).

Pour 1½ cup (375ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot, then ensure all the rice is fully submerged in the stock.

Finally, layer 14.5oz crushed or diced tomatoes on the very top. Do not mix.

With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

• Chicken Thighs – Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure Cook at High Pressure 7 minutes + Natural Release 10 minutes
• Chicken Drumsticks – Pressure Cooking Method: Pressure Cook at High Pressure 8 minutes + Natural Release 10 minutes

After 10 minutes, release the remaining pressure by turning Venting Knob to Venting Position.

When Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.

Add Shrimps, Mix & Season

*Note: It will look a bit too watery at first, that’s normal! Once you start mixing all the ingredients, it will all come together nicely & tasty. 🙂

Now, you can add the fully cooked shrimps in jambalaya, then mix well. 

Finally, don’t forget to taste the Jambalaya in Instant Pot, then adjust the seasoning accordingly.

*Pro Tip: For reference, we added roughly 3 – 4 pinches of salt to open up the flavors & season the dish properly. 

Serve Instant Pot Jambalaya

Garnish the Jambalaya with sliced green onion, then serve.

Enjoy this flavor-bombing comforting Instant Pot Jambalaya~

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