Easy Dirty Rice – Immaculate Bites

What Is Dirty Rice?

If you’ve never heard of it before, the name might put you off. But it originated in Southern Louisiana as pure soul food. It’s a delicious blend of white rice, spices, aromatics, and small pieces of meat, like chicken livers and gizzards, ground beef, or sausage.

The liver and ground beef turn the rice an unexpected color. Over the years, this flavorful rice meal has evolved with many variations. I use chicken livers, ground beef, and chopped bacon because I couldn’t resist Immafying it. Bacon is so good!

Recipe Ingredients

1. Rice – Long-grain rice works best for this classic Cajun dirty rice. Basmati is my favorite, but use what you have.
2. Meat – Bacon, liver, and ground beef are my choices for authentic dirty rice. But you can also use gizzards, heart, or uncured sausage.
3. Beef Stock – The flavor of beef stock ramps the rice up more than just water.
4. Holy Trinity – For a classic Cajun and Creole veggie trio, onion, celery, and green bell pepper are fundamental. So good!
5. Seasonings – Garlic, fresh thyme, bay leaves, green onions, parsley, pepper flakes, and Creole seasoning spice this dish up for an incredible experience.

How to Make Easy Dirty Rice

• Cook the Bacon – In a large, heavy sauté pan, fry chopped bacon until cooked, 4-5 minutes, and set aside.
• Add Aromatics – Then add 2 tablespoons of oil or more to the bacon pan (or use the bacon grease😉). Throw in the onions, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic, and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the Meat – Add chicken liver, ground beef, and Creole seasoning. Then cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes.
• Season – Add bell peppers, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Pour in about 1½ cups of stock.
• Boil and Simmer – Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and then simmer for about 5 minutes.
• Add the Cooked Rice – Finally, add rice and mix thoroughly. Cook until the rice is heated through, 5-7 minutes. If needed, add more stock to prevent it from burning. Don’t overcook the rice. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaf.
• Serve – Stir in the parsley and serve.

Recipe Variations

1. Protein Swap – Ground pork or sausage adds excellent flavor. You could also use ground chicken or turkey.
2. Dirty Brown Rice – If you want brown rice for a healthier dinner, increase the cooking time by thirty minutes.
3. Stock Swap – Try your dirty rice recipe with other liquids like chicken broth with a light savory flavor or vegetable broth. A splash of white wine or light-colored beer wouldn’t hurt.
4. Veggie Additions – Add even more veggies, like carrots, okra, corn, and tomatoes.
5. Sauce Base – Shake things up by replacing some of the broth with coconut milk or tomato sauce.
6. Meatless Dirty Rice – Skip the meat and replace it with mushrooms or black beans.

Tips and Tricks

1. This Southern dirty rice recipe is a great way to use leftovers! Leftover meat, veggies, and rice make a super fast meal.
2. Omit or add some ingredients to suit your palate, such as skipping the liver or adding jalapenos to spice up your rice dish.

Make-Ahead Instructions

You can make dirty rice a day ahead of time. Cook the dish as instructed and refrigerate it in an airtight container once cooled. You want it airtight so you don’t lose precious moisture. You may need to add moisture with a splash of broth.

You can also cook rice, meats, and veggies in advance separately. Then stir them together when reheating to serve.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Cajun-style dirty rice leftovers will last up to 3 days in an airtight container or bag in the fridge. You can also freeze it for up to two months, but it tends to dry out. So just add a splash of broth before reheating.

FAQs

What to Serve With Easy Dirty Rice

To complete a drool-worthy meal with dirty rice, you’ve got to have an equally easy coleslaw, fresh from the skillet cornbread or hush puppies, and spicy chicken wings or Cajun shrimp.

More Deliciously Seasoned Rice Recipes to Try

1. Seasoned Rice
2. Caribbean Rice and Beans
3. One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken and Rice
4. Mushroom Rice
5. Cajun Rice
6. Vegan Cheesy Rice

Conclusion

So level up your rice game with this Cajun-Creole spiced one-dish rice meal. Would you like to stay up-to-date with my latest recipes? Follow me on Instagram or Facebook.

Watch How to Make It

This blog post was originally published in May 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.