Smoked Chicken Broth & Chicken Andouille Jambalaya

In New Orleans, a great jambalaya isn’t won at the end when you fold in the rice—it’s built from the ground up hours before the main pot ever sees a flame. We’re pairing rich, wood-fired smoke with the raw efficiency of a pressure cooker to make an ultra-rich smoked chicken broth in a fraction of the time, then using that liquid gold to power a classic Chicken & Andouille Jambalaya.

If you’ve ever wondered why restaurant jambalaya has a depth that store-bought carton broth just can’t replicate, this is the secret. We take whole chicken carcasses, kiss them with sweet hickory and applewood smoke on the pit, and pressure cook them with the holy trinity down to pure liquid copper.

Once that broth is locked and loaded, it becomes the backbone for our favorite weeknight-meets-weekend jambalaya. Packed with smoked chicken, spicy cajun andouille, and rice that drinks up every single drop of flavor, this pot proves that taking one smart shortcut—pressure cooking the smoked stock—delivers full-blown Sunday dinner flavor in no time.

Smoked Chicken Broth & Chicken Andouille Jambalaya

An extra-flavorful jambalaya built on homemade smoked chicken stock with the holy trinity, spicy cajun andouille, and full flavor smoked chicken.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cajun, New Orleans

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Smoked Chicken Broth (Pressure Cooker)

• 2 lbs Smoked chicken carcasses/bones
• 1 large onion quartered
• 2 stalks Celery rough chopped
• 1 carrot rough chopped
• 1 head Garlic halved crosswise
• 8 cups Water

Jambalaya Base

• 2 lbs Chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces (or meat from smoked chicken)
• 1 lb Andouille sausage sliced into 1/4-inch coins
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil or bacon fat
• 1 large Yellow onion finely diced
• 1 large Green bell pepper finely diced
• 3 stalks Celery finely diced
• 4 cloves Garlic minced
• 1 tsp Smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp Dried thyme
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 14 oz Diced Tomatoes
• 2 cups Long grain white rice rinsed
• 3.5 cups Reserved Smoked Chicken Broth
• 3 Green onions thinly sliced (for garnish)

Method

 

Pressure Cooker Smoked Broth

1. Smoke a whole chicken low and slow; keep seasoning simple with salt & pepper, or use cajun seasoning for extra spice
2. Load the pressure cooker pot with the smoked chicken carcass / bones, quartered onion, chopped celery, chopped carrots, garlic, and pepper. Pour in 8 cups of water.
3. Secure the pressure cooker lid. Set to High Pressure for 45 minutes. When finished, allow a 15-minute natural pressure release before carefully venting remaining steam. Strain liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a large heat-safe container; discard solids.

Cookin' Jambalaya

1. Heat oil or bacon fat in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the sliced andouille sausage and brown for 5–6 minutes until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper (or Creole seasoning) and sear in the rendered sausage fat until golden on all sides (about 5 minutes). Remove chicken and set aside with the sausage.

   NOTE: Skip this step if using already cooked smoked chicken.
3. Lower heat to medium. Toss in the diced onion, bell pepper, and celery (the Holy Trinity). Sauté for 6–8 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme, and tomato paste; cook for 2 minutes until fragrant and dark.
4. Pour in the rinsed long-grain white rice and stir continuously for 2 minutes to coat every grain in the flavorful pan oils.
5. Pour in 3.5 cups of the warm Smoked Chicken Broth and can of diced tomatoes, scraping up any delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the chicken and andouille (plus any accumulated juices) to the pot.
6. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, then immediately reduce heat to low, cover tightly with a lid, and let simmer undisturbed for 20 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat and let the pot rest covered for 10 minutes. Uncover, gently fluff with a fork, fold in sliced green onions, and serve hot!

Notes

Q: Can I make this smoked chicken broth in advance?
A: Absolutely! Smoked chicken broth can be cooled and stored in airtight glass jars in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 6 months.
Q: Why use a pressure cooker for broth instead of a traditional stockpot?
A: Pressure cookers extract deep gelatin, rich flavor, and smoky essence out of poultry carcasses in under an hour, achieving the same depth as a 4-to-6-hour stovetop simmer in a fraction of the time.