Dirty rice is a classic Cajun dish that is typically made with chicken livers and/or gizzards and ground meat. The variety of meats and spices give the rice its signature "dirty" look, hence the name. It's a flavorful dish that needs little accompaniment. And while you may have seen this particular kind of meal in a box, there's nothing like making dirty rice from scratch.
This dirty rice recipe is made with ground pork or ground sausage, but feel free to substitute ground chicken, turkey, or ground beef. Long-grain white rice is traditional and is used in this version here, but if you prefer to use brown rice or wild rice, keep in mind that the cooking time will increase greatly.
Serve the dirty rice (sometimes simply called Cajun rice) with extra hot sauce for spice lovers, and perhaps a fresh green salad, collard greens, or mustard coleslaw on the side.
"Deep, flavorful dirty rice. A great accompaniment to seafood gumbo." —Renae Wilson
Ingredients
-
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or beef broth)
-
3/4 pound chicken gizzards
-
2 tablespoons bacon drippings (or oil)
-
4 tablespoons butter, divided
-
1/2 pound ground pork (or pork sausage)
-
1/2 cup chopped onions
-
1/2 cup chopped celery
-
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (or a combination of red and green)
-
2 cloves garlic, minced
-
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste
-
1 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
-
1 teaspoon paprika
-
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or a dash of Tabasco sauce)
-
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
-
1/2 pound chicken livers, minced
Steps to Make It
-
Gather the ingredients.
-
In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
-
Add the chicken gizzards to the broth and reduce the heat to low; simmer for 30 minutes.
-
Remove the gizzards with a slotted spoon and grind or chop them very finely. Reserve the broth.
-
Add the bacon drippings or oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter to a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole over medium heat. Once the oil and butter mixture is hot, add the ground pork and ground or chopped gizzards.
-
Cook, stirring frequently until browned.
-
Lower the heat. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Stir and continue cooking until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
-
Add the rice and reserved broth and then quickly bring to a boil. Heat the oven to 250 F.
-
Stir, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
-
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet and sauté the minced chicken livers for 3 minutes.
-
Toss the minced chicken livers with the rice, taste for seasoning, and adjust with more salt and pepper as needed.
-
Cover the pan and place it in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
-
Fluff with a fork. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Variations
- Replace the ground pork with ground sausage, ground beef, or ground turkey or chicken thighs.
- Omit the gizzards and increase the ground pork or sausage to 1 pound and the chicken livers to 3/4 to 1 pound.
- Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley to the finished dish.
How to Store and Freeze Classic Cajun Dirty Rice
Dirty rice will keep in the fridge for three to four days. Whereas regular plain rice tends to freeze fairly well, cooked rice dishes such as dirty rice tend to become mushy when reheated after being frozen.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
338 | Calories |
18g | Fat |
12g | Carbs |
30g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 6 to 8 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 338 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 18g | 23% |
Saturated Fat 8g | 41% |
Cholesterol 362mg | 121% |
Sodium 832mg | 36% |
Total Carbohydrate 12g | 4% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 3% |
Total Sugars 1g | |
Protein 30g | |
Vitamin C 22mg | 111% |
Calcium 40mg | 3% |
Iron 6mg | 32% |
Potassium 415mg | 9% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
Recipe Tags: