Instant Pot chicken jambalaya
Spicy Cajun rice with chicken, tomatoes and the holy trinity of onion, pepper and celery, all cooked together in one pot.
- 45 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.70 a serving
- 510 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1¼ lb chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 tsp Cajun seasoning, divided
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed well
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 3 green onions, sliced (optional)
- 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leave
Each serving has about 510 calories, 39 g protein, 68 g carbs and 8 g fat, and costs about $2.70 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No hot sauce? Sriracha works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the Cajun seasoning and wash your hands and board.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Set the Instant Pot to , heat the oil, and cook the onion, pepper and celery 4 minutes, until . Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Softened. For vegetables it means cooked until they bend and lose their crunch; for butter, left out until it dents easily. Soft onions taste sweet, and soft butter mixes in smoothly.
How you’ll know: Onions squash easily against the pan with your spoon, and butter dents under a finger without looking greasy.
Timer: 4 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Onion, pepper and celery is the Cajun holy trinity. It’s the base of almost everything in Louisiana cooking.Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom clean.
in the rice, thyme, bay leaf and the rest of the Cajun seasoning, and press the rice under the liquid.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Lay the chicken on top, then pour the tomatoes and their juice over everything. Don’t .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Dolly’s tip: Tomatoes on top instead of stirred in keeps the pot from flashing a burn warning.Lock the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on HIGH for 6 minutes.
Timer: 6 min
Let the pressure come down on its own for 10 minutes, then vent the rest and check that the biggest piece of chicken reads 165°F.
Timer: 10 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Take out the bay leaf, fluff everything together, and serve with green onions and hot sauce.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
More dinners like this
Instant Pot Greek lemon chicken and rice
40 min
Instant Pot chicken adobo
45 min
Instant Pot tempeh jambalaya
55 min
Microwave chimichurri chicken and rice
20 min
One-pan dinners ›High-protein dinners ›What to make with chicken and rice ›What to make with rice and bell peppers ›What to make with canned tomatoes and bell peppers ›