A very popular accompaniment for meats, fowl, and seafood in South Louisiana, Dirty Rice is made by simmering browned meats with the Trinity (onions, green peppers, and celery), Cajun/Creole spices, rich stock, and cooked white rice. A version of this dish (and there are endless versions) will always be found at family gatherings and holiday celebrations in South Louisiana. Here's how to make Sweet Daddy D's Cajun Dirty Rice, too bold and delicious to call it merely a side dish.
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What is Dirty Rice?
Dirty Rice epitomizes South Louisiana cuisine: stretching meager resources, using every bit of a hog or a chicken, and making the dish favorable beyond description. The origins of Dirty Rice can be traced back to the 19th century when the better cuts of meat and poultry were savored by those who could afford them, while the cheaper, tougher cuts of meat along with parts like the chicken livers, gizzards, and hearts were used to make tasty dishes that could be stretched to feed a large family.
It's not unusual in South Louisiana cuisine for dishes of humble origins to find their way to local restaurants and soon become popular ambassadors of South Louisiana cuisine. After all, why do you think Popeyes has been hawking Cajun Rice all over the world for years? It started in poor, rural South Louisiana in the 19th century!
Authentic Dirty Rice contains organ meat like chicken liver, gizzards, or even hearts. The “dirty” part of the name comes from the brown appearance the rice takes on from the browned ground meat and organ meats.
Here’s What You Need
A complete list of ingredients, with quantities, can be found on the printable Recipe Card at the end of this article.
Ingredient Notes
- Bacon/Bacon Fat: Used to brown the meats, bacon fat provides depth to the flavor profile. Substitute vegetable oil or butter.
- Rice: Use cooked long-grain white rice. Substitute brown or wild rice. This is the perfect recipe for leftover rice.
- Meats: I developed this recipe using ground chuck (80/20) for the flavor and ground pork for the fat and deep pork flavor. I also used chicken livers to provide an earthy depth of flavor.
- Creole Seasoning: This recipe was developed using Le Bon Papa Creole Seasoning, a no-salt, no-MSG, all-purpose Creole and Cajun seasoning. If you use a seasoning that contains salt, make sure to taste the dish before adding more salt.
- Other Sources of Salt: In this recipe, the stock, Worcestershire sauce may contain salt.
Equipment
Making this recipe of Dirty Rice does not require any special equipment. Besides the typical ingredient prep equipment, Dirty Rice can be made in one pot, like this Cast Iron Dutch Oven.
Tips for Recipe Variations
- Many recipes in South Louisiana include chicken gizzards. It's also common to use chicken giblets (neck, liver, gizzards, and heart). Clean the gizzards by removing any additional fat and the yellow sack that may be attached. Simmer the giblets in salted water. Remove the liver after 20 minutes, the neck after 30 minutes, and the gizzards and heart after 45 minutes. Reserve the cooking water. Allow everything to cool, then prepare the liver as instructed. Pull the meat off the neck and chop, while the gizzards and heart can be finely chopped or run through a food processor. Add these ingredients when you add the liver to the original recipe.
- For a little heat, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper. You can also chop a jalapeno pepper and add it with the Trinity.
- If you do not have leftover rice, cook some rice just for this recipe. Use long-grain white rice, but cook it in chicken stock with a bay leaf for added flavor. Make sure to remove the bay leaf before serving.
Hints and Tips (FAQs)
For this recipe, I use a combination of ground chuck (80/20) and ground pork. This blend provides enough fat and richness of flavor to set this recipe apart. If you prefer to use one or the other, that's fine. Experiment...try some fresh bulk sausage or some other meats.
Not if you don’t want to. All the ingredients contribute to Dirty Rice's flavor, but none take over. Chicken livers add a subtle undertone to the flavor profile. Many recipes include the gizzards along with the livers as an option. Properly prepare the livers (and gizzards if using) as directed so they blend in and don't dominate the flavor profile.
You can substitute chicken stock, vegetable stock, or even water for the beef stock. I prefer long-grain converted rice (like Uncle Ben's) because the grains will not gum together but you can substitute your favorite cooked rice. You can also substitute brown rice for white.
You can make the entire recipe, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two. Another option is to make the recipe up to the point before you add the stock. Freeze the meat/vegetable in an airtight container. When you want to serve it, return the prepared mixture to temperature, add the stock, and continue with the instructions.
Dirty Rice and Jambalaya have similarities but are not the same thing. Both are primarily rice dishes flavored with traditional South Louisiana seasonings. Jambalaya cooks raw rice in a flavorful stock, allowing it to absorb the flavors and colors of browned meats and the Trinity as it absorbs the stock. Dirty Rice builds its foundation by browning meat and organ meat (liver, gizzards, hearts), imparting a very distinctive, earthy flavor profile. Cooked rice is blended in to bind all the wonderful flavors. These seemingly subtle differences produce uniquely special dishes.
Boudin is a sausage that shares many of the same ingredients as Dirty Rice. Boudin is unique among South Louisiana sausages because it contains pork and organ meat, cooked down in Cajun seasonings and spices, mixed with cooked rice before stuffing into sausage casings. Although the ingredients are cooked before being stuffed into the casing, Boudin is usually steamed before serving, but it is also common to find grilled boudin and smoked boudin.
These two terms are commonly interchangeable, but the difference is that Rice Dressing is made with ground beef and/or pork and does not contain the organ meat (liver, gizzards, or hearts) that Dirty Rice is known for.
Dirty Rice and Cajun Rice are two names for the same thing. Popeyes Fried Chicken was founded in St Bernard Parish, east of New Orleans. Their very popular side dish, Cajun Rice, is derived from Dirty Rice and is an excellent offering. Using the term “Cajun Rice” helps market the side dish in areas outside of Louisiana. Although I have never seen Popeye's recipe for Cajun Rice, I have it on good authority that it contains ground beef and ground chicken gizzards-no livers. Popeye's may have discontinued Cajun Rice in most stores, but we have been able to still find it in some South Louisiana Popeyes.
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Here’s What You Do
First...you have a beer. In other words, let’s get off on the right foot. Before you do anything else, read the recipe all the way through. This is best done with a cold beer. The idea is to relax and learn what you will need and what you will do with each ingredient before you start. Then, do your mise en place, which is preparing all the ingredients before starting to cook. After that, most of the work is done and all that is left is assembling the recipe as you cook.
Mise En Place
Measure and prepare each ingredient; place them into individual prep bowls, with ingredients added at the same time going in the same bowls.
- Chop the Trinity, the garlic, the green onions, and the parsley.
- Chop the bacon into 2-inch pieces or measure out the bacon grease.
- Place the meats together in one prep bowl, and gently mix them with your hands.
- Measure the cooked rice, stock, Worcestershire sauce, and Creole Seasoning.
- The chicken liver needs to be prepared before adding them to the recipe, so set those aside.
To Prepare the Chicken Liver
- Place the chicken livers in a pot of lightly salted water and boil until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to take the cooked livers out of the water; reserve the cooking water.
- Allow the livers to cool, then give them a rough chop; set aside.
Lagniappe Tip: 15 to 20 minutes seems like a long time to cook the livers, but I want the liver to be very soft so that they completely blend and disappear into the other ingredients.
Start with the Meats to Build the First Layer of Flavor
What happens in this step? To maximize the flavor of Dirty Rice, it must be built in layers. The foundation layer starts with browning the meats in bacon grease, adding the Trinity and Seasonings, and then concentrating it all with a stock.
- Add the bacon pieces to a cold Dutch oven and turn the heat to medium. Fry until the fat has been rendered. (Alternatively, add your reserved bacon grease to the Dutch oven, and heat until shimmering).
- Add the ground beef and pork to the bacon grease, and fry until the pink is gone, which will take about 5 minutes. Mix in the chopped chicken livers. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly, scraping up anything that sticks to the bottom of the pan. (We will deglaze the pan soon)
Lagniappe Tip: Starting the bacon in a cold Dutch oven will promote the rendering of the fat before the bacon is crispy. If the heat is too high, the outside of the bacon will crisp quickly, before releasing all of its fat.
- Add the Trinity (yellow onions, bell pepper, and celery) to the meats. Stir often and saute until the onions start to brown which should be about 8 minutes.
- Add half the green onions, sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic. Continue to sauté until the garlic is aromatic, which only takes a minute or two.
- Add the Creole seasoning; stir well to completely combine the ingredients before the liquids are added.
- Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the Worcestershire sauce, stock, and one cup of the reserved water from boiling the chicken livers. Stir well and bring it to a high simmer, uncovered. Lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the stock is reduced by a little more than half, concentrating the flavors.
Lagniappe Tip: If you have some fond stuck to the bottom of the pot, start with just a little stock to deglaze the bottom. As the fond is released into the liquid, stirring everything together captures the flavors.
Now add the rice
What happens in this step? It ain't Dirty Rice without the rice. Cooked rice serves as the vehicle to distribute the intense flavor profile we've built into every single bite.
- Once the liquids have been reduced, add the cooked rice and blend well to incorporate the ingredients.
- Add the parsley, remaining green onions (reserve some for garnish), kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Mix well. Leave the fire on low for just another few minutes, uncovered, until all the liquid is absorbed.
Lagniappe Tip: Once all the liquid is absorbed into the rice, give it one final taste to see if you need more salt, pepper, or Creole seasoning.
Serving Suggestions
Cajun Dirty Rice is traditionally served as a side dish but is hearty enough to be the main offering. Add a Sensation Salad and a side of Sweet 'n Savory Green Beans and you've got a meal!
Dirty Rice is a popular dish at covered-dish dinners or gatherings of family and friends. It's a perfect side dish for Fried Chicken or Fried Fish.
Dirty Rice can be used as a stuffing for chicken breasts, pork chops, tomatoes, eggplants, or mirlitons. These "stuffing" are also great uses for leftover Dirty Rice.
Tips for Leftovers
Leftover Dirty Rice should be allowed to cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge or freezer within 2 hours of cooking.
Dirty Rice can be safely refrigerated for 5 or 6 days or frozen for up to 3 months. For best results, leftovers should be stored in an airtight container. Vacuum-sealed bags are the best option for freezing.
To reheat, defrost the Dirty Rice in the fridge overnight. Place it in a saucepan with a little water, over low heat. Break it up with a fork and stir a few times while the water evaporates and the rice warms, which should only take 5 to 10 minutes. Don’t turn the heat up too high! Reheating in the microwave also works.
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There are so many things that Dirty Rice goes well with. Here are a few suggestions from Sweet Daddy D!
Add some of these other great sides for a full meal!
More great Cajun and Creole Dishes from Sweet Daddy D!
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Yeah You Right!
Publishers Note: This recipe and article were originally published in November 2018. It is revised and republished here with improved instructions, photos, and Hints & Tips (FAQs).
Recipe
Cajun Dirty Rice
Here's What You Need
- 3 tablespoons bacon grease
- 1 pound ground chuck (80/20)
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ pound Chicken livers
- 1 medium to large Yellow Onion
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- ½ cup Celery
- 2 bunches green onions in all
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 4 tablespoons Creole seasoning
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 cups beef stock
- 6 cups cooked rice
- 4 tablespoons parsley
- Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste
Here's What You Do
- Place chicken livers in water to simmer until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Let them cool then give them a rough chop and set aside; reserve the cooking water.
- In a Dutch oven, melt the bacon grease (or fry bacon) over medium-high heat.
- Maintaining a medium-high heat, brown the beef and pork in the bacon grease; when the redness is gone (about 5 minutes), add the chopped chicken livers and mix well; cook together for another 5 minutes.
- Add the yellow onions, bell peppers and celery to the meats and saute until the onions are starting to brown, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in about half the green onions and the garlic; continue to sauté for a couple of minutes until the garlic is aromatic.
- Add the creole seasoning and mix well, continuing to sauté.
- Increase the heat; add the Worcestershire sauce, the stock, and one cup of the reserved water from boiling the chicken livers; stir together and bring to a high simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by a little more than half-about, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Mix in the cooked rice and blend well to incorporate all the ingredients. Taste and add kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Mix in the parsley and remaining green onions and cook on low for another few minutes uncovered until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Sprinkle some of the reserved green onions on top when served.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Estimate
It's Me!
Louisiana is a wonderful place where the rich cultural heritage enriches and entertains. I'm Dave Howson, aka Sweet Daddy D. I'm glad you found my website and I look forward to exploring the cultural mosaic of Louisiana with you…
read the "It's Me" page to find out more about me and this website…
Peggy
I love dressing, rice or cornbread, doesn't make a difference. But I have never made it from scratch, I use a mix (like Savoie's or Richards), or make an oven dressing (which is very good)
Can you cook the base, without adding the rice, and freeze batches? How much do you put in a batch?
Also, can you add eggplant to the base?
I do love your recipes, they seem to be the closest to my grandmothers recipes.
Thanks, Peggy
Sweet Daddy D
Hello, Peggy, great to hear from you again. I think cooking the base in advance would work fine. I'd suggest cooking it through the point where you add the Creole Seasoning (Step 5 in the article, before you add the liquid). I'd say a "batch" is one recipe. Make that, then split it half to freeze. That way you can defrost one or two packs, depending on how much you want to make. Defrost, then start at Step 6 (in the article) when you add the liquids. If you're only cooking a half batch, just cut the liquids and rice in half. As far as adding eggplant, I think that would be a great idea. Add the eggplant with the Trinity and cook until the eggplant is very soft. I'm sure you've seen it, but my Cajun Eggplant Dressing recipe is not too far off from what you're thinking. I get some good feedback on that recipe.
Patrick Michael Miller
Can I substitute half a pound of saviors dressing mix instead of the chicken livers? Just to make it easier. How much Saviors dressing mix half or a whole pound?
Your recipes remind me of home! I love the aromas in the house!
Sweet Daddy D
Hey Patrick, I have never done that but you could sure give it a try. Savoie's has a ton of other ingredients so I'm sure it would impact the flavor profile a good bit. If all you're replacing is the liver, start with 1/2 pound, you could always add more. Remember, although the liver is not a dominant flavor in the recipe, it adds a subtle undertone that makes good "dirty" rice. So, although you "can" do it, it's not something I would do. To save time, I'd try sauteing the chopped livers with the ground meats, instead of preparing them as I have in the instructions. That being said, I always encourage trying things, so if you think it's a good idea, go for it, it may be great.
Thanks for the kind words, make sure to let me know what you end up doing and how it turns out.
Alison DeRudder
20 minutes seems like such a long time to simmer the livers...is there a reason for that? Or is that just how it's done?
Sweet Daddy D
Hi Allison, thanks for reaching out. I simmer the livers that long to get them very tender so that when I chop them and blend them into the other ingredients they breakdown easily and don't end up in big chunks. I've found that some folks don't like liver but if it's completely incorporated they don't usually notice. The flavor is wonderful. I also use the simmering water later in the recipe which picks up more flavor with a long simmer. You certainly don't need to do it that way, just make sure they are cooked through, then give them a fine chop. Thanks again and ENJOY!