Traditional rice jambalaya, made Creole-style with the trinity, garlic and tomatoes, with seasoned pan-seared, bone-in pork chops nestled in.
Creole-Style Pork Chop Jambalaya
Unlike Cajun-style pork jambalaya, which often contains a variety of pork - bacon, tasso, smoked sausage, pork loin - pork chop jambalaya is generally made with only chops. While any type of pork chop or even pork steak can be used, including boneless, I think bone-in chops provide much more flavor and that's what I recommend for this dish.
Even still, there are many ways to make pork chop jambalaya as there are cooks, and mine is just one of them!
I start with browning the chops just to build a little fond on the pot, then saute the trinity along with a goodly bit of garlic. The addition of tomatoes, not usually present in the Cajun-style version, are added along with seasonings and the rice, and the chops are nestled in, with the whole thing slow simmered.
Some folks omit the tomatoes and add in a prepared brown gravy or a fresh mushroom sauce and some cook the rice separately, serving the chops and sauce over the top, more like stew. Any way that you make it, it's sure to be delicious!
Here's my version of Creole-Style Pork Chop Jambalaya. As always, full recipe text with measurements and instructions is located further down the page, Just scroll past the step by step pictures. You'll also find a printable document that requires Adobe Reader to open, however, you do not need to request access to print. Access is for our document editing purposes only.
Start with some nice bone-in chops - somewhere close to about 1/2 inch in thickness. I'm actually using a package of pork steaks I picked up on sale. They were rather large, so I just trimmed them to serving size pieces. Season the chops on both sides with salt, pepper and Creole or Cajun seasoning. Heat oil and brown quickly on both sides, in batches; transfer to plate.
Add onion, bell pepper and celery to the pot drippings and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce; bring to a boil. Add rice, salt, green onion and parsley; return to a boil, reduce heat to low simmer and tuck in pork chops. Cover and cook over medium low, without stirring or lifting the lid, for about 45 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow to sit 10 minutes, or until ready to serve. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Offer hot sauce at the table and dig in!
Some of my favorite products used here:
Kitchen Basics brand is my go-to choice for chicken stock or broth when a recipe calls for more than a cup or two. The richness is outstanding over chicken bouillon or even boxed broth and really makes a difference in flavor. I only had unsalted in the pantry when I made this, so I just added a bit more salt to the rice. Kitchen Basics also has a line of high protein bone broths, perfect for sipping.
Delta Blues Rice has become one of my favorite rice products. Grown in the rich soils of the Mississippi Delta, it's a true farm to table operation from a family that has been farming for nearly a century. Made with high quality seed and thanks to small batch milling, its flavor is always consistent and far superior to grocery store brands.
Years ago, they sent me some rice to try and I've been hooked ever since! They have white, brown and jasmine rice available, as well as white and brown rice grits, known as middlins. Rice grits are actually broken pieces of rice that cook up super creamy for a risotto, eaten plain with butter, salt and pepper, and make a pretty awesome cheese "grits" y'all! You can even pick up a variety pack to try them all.
For more of my favorite jambalaya recipes, check out the collection on my Pinterest page!
We Need Your Help! There's no paywall here on Deep South Dish - recipes, step by step photos and printables are free and available at no cost to our readers, however, advertising featured on the blog helps to pay for the groceries. If you enjoy the blog but you're using an ad blocker, please consider whitelisting Deep South Dish so I can keep the blog going!
Unable to view the printable below on your device? Tap/click here.
Thank you for supporting my work! Please note that Images and Full Post Content including photographs and recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, do not copy and paste post or recipe text to repost or republish to any social media (such as other Facebook pages, etc.), blogs, websites, forums, or any print medium, without explicit prior permission. Unauthorized use of content from ©Deep South Dish is a violation of both the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and copyright law. All rights reserved.
Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
160408/003SD
.