Instant Pot: Chicken & Shrimp Jambalaya

Who say’s it has to be Mardi Gras to have Jambalaya on the menu?! I’ve been craving New Orleans fare and found the following recipe on Cook’s Illustrated. As predicted, this was spot on with not too much spice, great flavor and perfect as a meal all on it’s own. I made this in the Instant Pot and loved the results more than when I made it traditionally on the stove top. If you wanted, you could even prepare this dish using pasta in place of the rice. To do so, prepare the recipe as follows without the rice. Boil your choice of pasta separately. When your pasta is done and drained, top with the tomato, chicken & shrimp mixture. Toss to combine and dig in! 

1 medium onion, peeled, ends trimmed & quartered lengthwise
1 1/2 cups bell peppers (mixture of red, green, yellow, and/or orange), seeded & quartered
2-3 stalks celery, diced
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 bone in, skin on thighs
8 oz andouille sausage, halved lengthwise & cit into 1/4-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice (10 oz)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained with 1/4 cup of juice reserved
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 pound medium shrimp (31 to 35 shrimp per pound), or large shrimp, shelled
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves


In your Instant Pot:

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse onion, celery, bell peppers, and garlic until chopped fine, about six 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice. Do not overprocess; vegetables should not be pureed.

Press SAUTE on the IP and heat 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and cook until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate and set aside. 

In the now empty IP, add andouille sausage and vegetables; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables have softened about 3-4 minutes. 

Add rice, salt, thyme, and cayenne; cook, stirring frequently, until rice is coated with fat, about 1 minute. 

Add tomatoes, reserved tomato juice, chicken broth, and bay leaves; stir to combine. 

Remove and discard skin from chicken; place chicken, skinned-side down, on rice. 

Secure the lid of the IP and ensure the valve is set to SEALING.

Press RICE and allow the IP to complete cooking for the preset 12 minute duration until it beeps.

When the IP has beeped after cooking 12 minutes, allow your IP to naturally release pressure completely (allow several minutes for this to complete). While naturally releasing pressure (also known as NPR or NR), the display will reflect numbers counting up from 1. The numbers indicate how many minutes the IP has stopped cooking since it beeped (or how many minutes it has been naturally releasing pressure).  No need to touch your IP while it naturally releases pressure. The pin at the top of your IP will drop when all pressure has been released and it’s safe to open.

When the IP beeps after pressure cooking for 2 minutes, turn the setting on top of your IP to VENTING. Doing so allows the IP to quickly release any remaining pressure (also known as QPR or QR). I use a wooden spoon to carefully turn the setting to avoid close contact with the potential steam. You may also want to turn your IP away from cabinets to allow the released steam to escape freely. The pin at the top of your IP will drop when all pressure has been released and it’s safe to open.

Open up your IP when the pin has dropped (allow a few minutes for this to happen). The IP will automatically default to the WARM mode.

Stir in parsley and serve immediately.