Cajun jambalaya, done βbrownβ β a rustic one-pot chicken and rice dish where all the colour and flavour are built on the bottom of the pot. In this video we make a simple chicken jambalaya and focus on method: drying and browning the chicken so it βpaintsβ the pan, using onions and the Cajun holy trinity to lift and re-paint layers of fond, then toasting the rice in those browned fats before finishing in the oven so you get fluffy rice with crispy, caramelised edges. The only stock comes from water, chicken and vegetables; everything else is Maillard, moisture control and timing.
00:00 Cajun Jambalaya Overview (Brown Jambalaya with Chicken)
00:23 Drying and Prepping Chicken for Browning
00:46 Heating the Pot & Choosing the Right Pan (No Non-Stick)
01:05 Browning Chicken & Building Fond for Jambalaya
02:40 Onions First: Lifting and Repainting the Fond
03:20 Adding Celery & Green Bell Pepper (Cajun Holy Trinity)
03:58 Seasoning: Salt, Garlic, Bay Leaf, Thyme, Cayenne & Black Pepper
04:54 Toasting the Rice in Browned Fat
05:20 Adding Boiling Water/Stock & Layering Chicken on Top
05:59 Simmering, Steaming & Oven-Finishing the Jambalaya
06:41 Fluffing, Crispy Bottom & Burnt Bits
π *Ingredients (Serves 2β3)*
Chicken
β’ Boneless, skinless chicken thighs β 450 g (keep whole for browning)
Fat
β’ Neutral oil β 20 g (about 1Β½ tbsp)
Holy Trinity
β’ Onion β 100 g, finely diced
β’ Celery β 55 g, diced
β’ Green bell pepper β 55 g, diced
Aromatics & seasoning
β’ Garlic β 2 cloves (β 8 g), minced
β’ Bay leaf β 1
β’ Dried thyme β Β½ tsp
β’ Cayenne β β
βΒΌ tsp (to taste)
β’ Black pepper β ΒΌβΒ½ tsp
β’ Salt β ~1% of total food weight (expect roughly 8β10 g total)
Rice & liquid
β’ Long-grain white rice β 200 g (dry, not rinsed)
β’ Boiling chicken stock or water β 320 g / ml (1.6Γ the rice weight)
β’ Optional: Worcestershire β a small splash (umami)
βΈ»
π₯ *Method*
1. Brown the chicken: Pat dry. Heat a thin layer of oil in a heavy pot until very hot. Add chicken (donβt crowd), press down for contact, and donβt move until deeply golden. Brown both sides. Remove.
2. Onions first (paint + fond lift): Let exposed fond sit 30 seconds to deepen. Add onion and scrape to lift. Cook until the onionβs moisture is gone and it starts to brown (your second βpaintingβ layer).
3. Trinity reunites: Add celery + green pepper; cook until their moisture lifts the new fond and the bottom goes clean again.
4. Build flavour: Add salt, then garlic, bay, thyme, cayenne, and black pepper. Stir briefly to bloom.
5. Coat the rice: When the pot looks dry-ish with a thin fat sheen, add rice and stir 1β2 minutes to coat and lightly toast.
6. Add boiling liquid + chicken: Add 320 ml boiling stock/water (must be boiling). Spread into one even layer. Put chicken on top. Turn hob off and rest 30 minutes (even hydration).
7. 7-minute hob phase: Bring back to a vigorous simmer. Lid on, low heat, 7 minutes (donβt stir).
8. Oven finish: Scrape down the sides (so they donβt burn). Lid back on. Bake 230Β°C fan, 20 minutes.
9. Rest + fluff: Rest 5 minutes, lid on. Fluff to release steam (lift, donβt mash).
β’ Optional: 1β2 minutes on a low hob to crisp the bottom further.
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#W2Kitchen #jambalaya #cajuncooking
45 Comments
Want the tomato-tinted version? π Watch our Creole Jambalaya next β https://youtu.be/9MjQVVimFtA
holy shit
First
bro's food so good, he just proceeded to shout the entire script
Looks amazing.
why is he shouting at us? Im scared
β Holy trinity
β Caramelized sweetness
β Beautiful burned bits
π "Coat and toast"
I have the ingredients making this for dinner tonight. TY so much!
Only thing louder than Evan in the W2 kitchen is the food π£π£π£π―
Sir, I am allergic to celey so what would you suggest as a substitute? Fennel or something else?
Superb content.
impromptu monday
Bro's cooking with the volume knob stuck at 11! Evan's measuring ingredients in decibels now, yelling that food into perfection…
Do you test your recipes before making a video, if so how many times?
You might need a condenser headset with the way the comments are going. Love the method showcase!
Yes it is Louis Camille Maillard in the background.
Amazing! What proteins would you substitute for a pescatarian version? π€
Your hair. Your face. Your movements. All remind me of Ed Sullivan. Love your channel.
I like your channel. Please stop yelling at me.
why are you yelling comrade
Savannah Red Rice PREEEETTY PLEEEEEASE, you are the best!!!! <3 <3
My device is on mute and i can still hear him
The pot is your canvas so go take your brush and paint the pot BROWN
I'm so glad I found you, you are simply the best on YT, you give every detail that my Nero Divergent brain wants.
Happy Holidays!
would brown rice work as well?
whys he shouting ?
beautiful!π
I can hear you from here π
I refuse to believe chef actually eats any of this food. I have met dogs that weigh more than him.
Dude is so awesome, i was trying to subscribe for the 2nd time
how can you see the difference between a very deep fond and burned pan?
Why was the rice covered for the section in the oven? If it was to develop browning, wouldn't if be better to leave uncovered? If it is to finish the rice, is it worth it to do in the oven versus just finishing on stove?
Goes on the To-Cook list!
one clean bottom….
OK, you keep repeating this "later, by caramelisation" BS in most of your videos so I have to call you out on this. I'm sure you read this somewhere on the Internet but it's not true. For one, meat has trace amounts of sugar in the form of glucose from glycogen (and ribose in the case of beef). This is not enough for any meaningful caramelisation and moreover, what little there is gets used in the Maillard reaction that happens at a lower temperature than caramelisation. Caramelisation, of the type that actually contributes noticeable flavour. only takes place if you brush it with a glaze containing sugar, not for standard browning in a pan.
Otherwise, please state your sources.
That looks incredibly dry. It would need a sauce for me
Why do you yell?
the shouting is not necessary but a nice and yummy recipe. Thanks
Some alone time…..I love watching this guy.
I can often tell when I am cooking that I am overcrowding my pan, or that my proteins have too much water and end up releasing it all. In either case it ends up looking like boiled meat, not fried/grilled meat. This guy is here to remind me that I can take control of that.
Anyone who says never trust a skinny chef never met W2 – the original and best skinny chef, chemist and parade ground sergeant.
When we make any type of "brown/crispy" rice at home, we always fight for that crispy bottom because it's absolutely amazing lol. This video is not just about the dish, but also the technique to "brown" the food and extract as much flavor as possible. We see so many people showing their videos on YT boiling food when they want to brown/fry it lol
Could I do this with a stainless steel pot?
WOW… that is some SERIOUS carmelization!
The newest videos feel more refined and intriguing compared to the old ones. Not that his old videos are bad by any stretch, I just love being able to see progress first hand like this.