Instant Pot Brown Rice Jambalaya
Tags: Cajun Chicken Dinner Instant Pot Sausage
Yield: 4
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (if using salt-free Cajun seasoning)
- 1 large onion, minced
- 1 bell pepper, minced
- 1 rib celery, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup white wine (or more broth or water)
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice
- 1 cup chicken broth (homemade or low-sodium store-bought or water)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
- 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced ½ inch thick (andouille sausage if you can find it)
- 14- to 16-ounce can petite diced tomatoes with juices
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1 bay leaf
- Brown the chicken: In an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil using Sauté mode until the oil starts to shimmer, about 3 minutes. (Use medium heat in a stovetop PC.) Sprinkle the chicken with 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning (and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt if the Cajun seasoning is salt-free.) Add the chicken to the pot in a single layer. Cook the chicken, without moving, until it is browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Remove the browned chicken to a bowl, leaving as much oil behind as possible.
- Sauté the aromatics: Stir in the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic into the pot, then sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, and ½ teaspoon dried thyme. Sauté, scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat edged wooden spoon to loosen any browned chicken bits, until the onion turns translucent and starts to brown around the edges, about 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer the wine for 1 minute. Stir in the rice, chicken broth, ½ teaspoon salt (if using homemade broth or water), sliced sausage, diced tomatoes, and the browned chicken and any juices in the chicken bowl. Float the bay leaf on top.
- Pressure cook the jambalaya for 20 minutes with a 15 minute Natural Release: Lock the lid and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC (“Manual” or “Pressure Cook” mode in an Instant Pot), or for 16 minutes in a stovetop PC. Let pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure at that point).
- Serve: Unlock the lid and open the pot, tilting the lid away from you to avoid the hot steam. Discard the bay leaf, then stir the jambalaya to fluff up the rice. Scoop into serving bowls, sprinkle with the minced green onions, and serve, passing Tabasco sauce at the table. Enjoy!
- Simmer to thicken. This recipe comes out on the border between a rice dish and a soup. If you want a thicker jambalaya, set your Instant Pot for Sauté mode adjusted to low and simmer for an extra 10 minutes to thicken it up. Just make sure to stir and scrape the bottom of the pot so the rice doesn’t stick and burn.
