Recipe: Jambalya Risotto and Air-Fried Arancini
We have one pot perfection as we get cooking creole-style and make Jambalaya Risotto - plus a makeover for any leftovers into air-fried Arancini. Both recipes brought to us by John Thompson, owner of food truck This Little Pig. Visit their website to see their upcoming schedule and locations.
Click here for a printer-friendly version of this recipe. If you make either of these, let us know how they turned out.
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Click below to see how John made the Arancini on Instagram.com/DinnerDeeAs.
Jambalaya Risotto
Ingredients
- ½ cup cooked chicken thigh, chopped or cubed into ¼ inch pieces
- ½ cup smoked or andouille sausage, chopped or cubed into ¼ inch pieces
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup onion, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup jalapeño, cleaned and diced
- 2 tbsp garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp shallot, diced
- 1 oz fresh thyme (tied in a bouquet)
- 2 fresh bay leaves or 4 dried bay leaves
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 cups chicken stock (warm in a saucepan over low heat)
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp Creole seasoning of your choice (This Little Pig's ‘Creole Magic’ used in the episode)
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped fine for garnish
Directions
In a 12" sauté pan over medium-high heat, add butter. When melted, add chicken & sausage. Sauté until brown on all sides.
Add onion to the pan & sauté for 2 minutes. Add celery & peppers, sauté another 2 minutes. Add garlic & shallot. Continue to sauté until vegetables start to get translucent.
Add salt, pepper, creole seasoning, Worcestershire & hot sauces. Continue to sauté for 2 minutes until well incorporated.
Add dry arborio rice and sauté, moving the rice continuously until the exterior of the rice becomes translucent. Add white wine & deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom completely.
When the wine has been cooked off almost completely, add ¼ of the warm chicken stock and stir continuously until almost fully absorbed.
Continue to add stock in ¼ increments and continue stirring.
Taste the risotto once the stock is fully absorbed & season additionally if needed.
Plate, garnish with parsley & enjoy!
Arancini
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked risotto
- 1 cup grated parmesan (plus more to garnish finished dish)
- 2 eggs (divided)
- ½ cup flour
- 1 cup Spanko breadcrumbs
- salt and pepper to taste
- oil for frying
- fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Directions
While risotto is still warm, mix 1 slightly beaten egg and parmesan until thoroughly incorporated. Cover and chill in refrigerator overnight (minimum 4 hours).
Set up breading station by mixing flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Beat remaining egg and place in a separate shallow bowl. Finally add panko to separate shallow bowl.
Preheat frying oil to 350 °F (if using air fryer, skip this step).
Remove risotto mixture from fridge and divide into about 8 even portions. Roll into balls and bread by first rolling in the seasoned flour, then the egg and finally the panko. Set aside on a plate while remaining arancini balls are breaded.
Working in small batches, fry in 350 °F oil (using a deep fryer or deep dutch oven with candy thermometer to monitor oil temperature) for 4 - 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove carefully and place on a plate lined with paper towels. If using an air fryer, set to 350 °F, spray arancini with oil and cook for 6 minutes. Shake the air fryer basket gently (moving the arancini around) and cook for an additional 6 minutes.
Garnish with parsley and a sprinkle of grated parmesan and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Rest and serve.
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