Chicken, Chilli & Black Pudding
Jambalaya-ish Rice (mini fried egg slices)
A quick note
I’m not a trained or qualified chef. I’ve never worked in a professional kitchen, and my presentation still needs work. This site exists because I’m on a learning journey — cooking, tasting, screwing things up, fixing them, and trying to get better as I go.
What I do take seriously is understanding why things work. If this sounds over-analysed, that’s deliberate.
How this one runs
- Start a stopwatch when you begin the prep step.
- Each step uses a T+ time relative to that start.
- Black pudding does two jobs here: most folded through, some reserved for garnish.
Ingredients
| Qty | Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ~230 g | Chicken breast | Thighs give more margin for error |
| 75 g | Basmati rice | Long grain is probably fine too, but I haven’t tried it |
| ~150 ml | Chicken bone broth | Stock is fine if you don’t have bone broth |
| 1 | Onion | Finely chopped |
| 1 stick | Celery | Small dice |
| ½ | Red pepper | Small dice |
| 2 | Whole pickled jalapeños, kebab shop style | diagonal slices |
| 1 | Spring onion | diagonal slices |
| ¾ tsp | Hot smoked paprika | Yes, hot — intentional |
| ~60 g | Black pudding | Slice most into thin chunks for folding through. Reserve a small portion and slice ultra-thin for garnish. |
| 2 | Large red chillies | Deseeded, finely chopped — early addition |
| 5 | Thai green finger chillies | With seeds, sliced into small rounds. Chosen for fresh heat and colour contrast. |
| ~80–100 g | Mushrooms | Sliced; cooked separately until moisture is driven off |
| to taste | Salt & black pepper | Add incrementally |
| ⅛ tsp | MSG (optional) | Structure, not “cheating” |
| 10 g | Butter | Used only to lift the mushrooms |
| 1–2 tsp | White wine vinegar | Final acid lift |
| 1 | Egg | Frozen overnight (raw in shell), sliced into mini fried eggs |
| 1 | Lemon | Zest for garnish, small squeeze of juice at the end |
Method (timed)
Start the stopwatch now.
-
T+00:00Prep everything
Dice all veg. Slice most of the black pudding into small thin chunks. Reserve a small portion and slice it into the thinnest strips you can manage without breaking. Slice the mushrooms ready to cook separately.
Slice the chicken into small bite-sized pieces. Smaller pieces than you think.
Slice pickled jalapeños and spring onion on the bias (diagonal rounds)Why?
The dish moves quickly once heat is on. Prep first removes hesitation. Splitting the black pudding gives you depth and crunch rather than having to choose.
-
T+05:00Crisp the black pudding
Fry all the black pudding until crisp. Remove to a plate. Separate the ultra-thin strips for garnish. Keep the fat in the pan.
Why?
This renders fat that seasons everything downstream. Thin strips crisp harder — keep them pristine.
-
T+07:00Cook the mushrooms
Cook mushrooms in the same pan until their moisture is fully driven off. Add the butter at the end to lift them. Reserve with the black pudding chunks.
Why?
Mushrooms dump water. Cooking them separately keeps rice texture under control while still adding umami.
-
T+10:00Base veg
Add onion, celery and pepper with a pinch of salt. Cook until softened and sweet.
Why?
Undercook this and the dish tastes raw no matter what you do later.
-
T+17:00Spices & chillies
Add paprika and red chillies. Stir for 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
Why?
Blooming spices briefly avoids bitterness while unlocking flavour.
-
T+18:30Chicken
Add chicken and stir until just sealed.
Why?
Firms texture so it survives the simmer.
-
T+22:00Rice & bone broth
Add rice, then bone broth to just cover. Gentle simmer, lid mostly on.
Why?
Even hydration, defined grains.
-
T+30:00Thai green chillies
Add green chillies when rice is close to done.
-
T+34:00Mini fried egg slices
Peel the frozen egg under a cold tap. Slice into rounds and fry gently until just set.
Why?
Freezing allows slicing, giving yolk distribution without excess white.
-
T+36:00Finish & plate
Off the heat, stir in white wine vinegar and a small squeeze of lemon juice. Fold mushrooms and black pudding chunks through.
Plate, top with egg slices, crispy black pudding strips and lemon zest.
Arrange jalapeños and spring onion around your mound (lol). Aim to do this better than I did.
Why?
Acid wakes it up; zest hits the nose; crunch stays crunch.