Easy Dirty Rice Recipe

A deliciously seasoned side dish packed with flavor and easy to prepare in one pot! Don't let this Dirty Rice fool you, it's substantial flavor and ingredients could make this a hearty main dish as well. Packed with the holy trinity, robust flavor, ground sausage, and chicken livers, your guests will surely love it!

 

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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the 
recipe card at the bottom of the post. 
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.

Combine the Holy Trinity and other Cajun seasonings to this one-pot wonder. This dish is a perfect stand-alone one-pot dinner or a delicious side to Fried Catfish! This will be the best dirty rice your family has.

This recipe has been one of our favorites for years because of its authentic taste. Authentic dirty rice has chicken livers and/or gizzards in addition to ground pork. Feel free to change up the meats in this recipe to your liking. I tend to stick with this version for my family and friends.

If you love this dish, try our Instant Pot Cajun Dirty Rice or Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta (Instant Pot)!

Ingredients and Tools Needed

Ingredients you'll need

• Ground Pork Sausage - ground beef can be used as a substitute
• Chicken Livers - finely chopped or minced chicken livers
• Onion
• Celery Stalks
• Green bell pepper
• Garlic
• Creole Seasoning - If you don't have access to creole seasoning, try our Homemade Cajun Seasoning.
• Dried Thyme
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Hot Sauce
• Long Grain White Rice
• Beef Broth
• Water
• Bay Leaf
• Fresh Parsley

Tools you'll need

• Large pot or large dutch oven with lid
• Meat chopper (optional but well worth it)
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Wooden Spoon
• Fork

How to make this Dirty Rice recipe

Add pork sausage and chicken livers to a large pot over medium heat and sauté until the meat has browned. I use a meat chopper to get the meat nice and ground.

Add the onion, celery, green bell pepper, minced garlic, Creole seasoning, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Stir and cook until onions and bell peppers have softened a bit, about 2-3 minutes.

Add rice, beef broth, and water and stir with a wooden spoon, ensuring all brown bits are removed from the bottom. Place bay leaf on top of the mixture.

Bring the mixture to a simmer. Once it begins to simmer, reduce heat to low and cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid.

Allow to cook for 18 minutes over low heat, then remove the pot from heat. Leave the lid on the pot for an additional 5 minutes.

Open the lid and remove the bay leaves. Add chopped parsley and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve and enjoy.

What to serve with Dirty Rice

Is a one-pot meal not enough? Try these yummy additions to serve alongside Dirty Rice

• Classic Southern Cornbread Recipe
• Juicy Air Fryer Turkey Thighs
• Southern Green Beans

What is the Holy Trinity?

Onion, Green bell peppers, and Celery are known as the holy trinity in Cajun or Creole cooking. These three ingredients are a base for many Creole dishes.

How to store leftover Dirty Rice

Store leftover dirty rice in the refrigerator for 5-6 days in an airtight container.

Freeze dirty rice in a freezer Ziploc bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow the rice to cool before storing it in the freezer.

Turn leftover dirty rice into stuffed peppers! Hollow out bell peppers, cut them in half, and fill them with 1 cup of dirty rice. Sprinkle some cheese on top and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until the peppers have softened and the cheese is melty.

Why do they call it Dirty Rice?

Dirty rice, cajun rice, or rice dressing are all a variety of the same rice dish. The dirty name comes from the rice's color when paired with finely ground meat.

Cajun rice or rice dressing is usually made with ground beef, venison, or pork, whereas dirty rice can contain organ meats, like chicken livers or gizzards, such as this recipe.

Notes

• If you’re not a fan of livers, feel free to replace them with ground beef or ground turkey. Please note that the chicken livers give an authentic tasting dirty rice. 
• If you're looking for a healthier version, replace the ground pork with ground turkey, and swap out white rice for brown rice.

Looking for more rice recipes? Try these out:

• Yellow Rice
• Broccoli Rice Casserole
• Easy Flavorful Kale Rice
• Pressure Cooker (Instant Pot) Brown Rice
• Jamaican Instant Pot Rice and Beans
• Instant Pot Cajun Dirty Rice

If you have tried this or any other recipe on my blog, please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!