Y’all I gotta have some Creole blood deep down somewhere. I just feel it in my bones, and my stomach too. That’s why I can’t get enough of this authentic dirty rice recipe. It’s super rich and hearty. I cook the rice until it’s tender plus I add spices to the mix. Thanks to Tanya Holland of Brown Sugar Kitchen for sharing this amazing recipe I’m passing to you. The flavor is just undeniable y’all.
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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:
“This was a hit! I craved Dirty Rice for a few years. I decided to find a recipe and came across yours! It was so worth it!”
—NENE
How to Make Dirty Rice
Step 1: Rinse the Rice and Cook It
- Add the rice to a large bowl and cover with 2-3 inches of cold water. Give the rice a stir with your hand then drain.
- Repeat at least 5 times until that water is clear and clean boos.
- Add the washed rice to a medium pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook until the rice is nice and tender, just 20 minutes. Don’t overcook that rice boos!
PRO TIP: Don’t skip rinsing the rice. It truly is important to remove that surface starch so it becomes fluffy and tender without that gummy texture.
Step 2: Cook the Meat
- Let’s get into this meat. Add the oil to a large pan over medium heat until shimmering them toss in those livers and sausages. Break it all up and let it cook until it’s no longer pink.
- Transfer the meat to a bowl then add the onions, peppers, garlic and jalapeno to the pan. Stir occasionally and cook until tender and the onions are translucent.
- Dice up the cooked chicken livers into smaller pieces so it’s easier to eat then return all of the meat to the pot with all of the tender veggies.
Step 3: Combine Everything
- Add that rice in along with the meats and stir together until it’s fully incorporated.
- Toss in the spices and herbs and stir together until everything is super mixed up.
- Partially cover the pan, reduce that heat, and let it continue to cook so those flavors mingle and the deep brown color develops. This will take about 15 minutes. Finally remove the bay laves and serve it up boos.
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Dirty Rice Recipe
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I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup basmati rice
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 oz chicken livers trimmed
- 1 lb bulk pork sausage
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped jalapeno chile
- 1/4 cup worchestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 green onions white and green parts, chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cover the rice with 2 to 3 inches of cold water. Stir the rice with your hand and drain. Repeat five or six times, until the water runs clear.
- Transfer the washed rice to a medium heavy bottomed pot. Add enough fresh cold water to cover the rice by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Do not overcook.
- In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the livers and sausage and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the sausage with the back of a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, 7 to 8 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, transfer the livers and sausage to a small bowl. Add the onion, green and red bell peppers, garlic and jalapeno to the pan, and cook over medium high heat until the vegetables are soft, Stirring occasionally until 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile chop the chicken livers into small dice. Return them to a saute pan, along with the sausage, worcestershire sauce, and the cooked rice. Stir until the rice is fully incorporated. Stir in the bay leaves, thyme, black pepper, salt, paprika, cayenne and green onions. Partially cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and cook until the flavors are well blended, about 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves, discard and serve immediately.
Notes
- Fridge: Cool it down to room temp then pop in the fridge in an airtight container. It will last for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Add the room temperature dirty rice to zip freezer bags or freezer-safe containers getting out all the air to prevent freezer burn and pop in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: If you froze it, defrost in the fridge overnight. Reheat on the stovetop and add a splash of water or some broth and cook over medium heat until its heated through (about 7-10 minutes). You can also heat in the microwave to speed this up.
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Rinse the Rice: This is gonna get rid of that excess starch that can make the rice gummy.
- Let it Rest: For at least 10 minutes. This will allow the liquids to absorb into the rice creating the perfect texture.
- Leftovers Taste Better: If you can make this recipe the day before serving, it will taste even better!
Ingredient Notes
- Basmati Rice: Or you can grab long-grain white rice.
- Chicken Livers: You can swap in chicken thigh chunks or ground chicken.
- Sausage: Ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or even chicken or turkey sausage are great swaps.
- Jalapeno: Replace with a few red pepper flakes. Just got light.
- Worcestershire: Grab Tamari or soy sauce as a swap.
Serving Suggestions
- Main Dish: Creole dirty rice can be a complete meal. Just make a side of honey cornbread and some pecan pie for dessert and get your life boos!
- Side Dish: This is a perfect rice side to serve along with a protein like blackened salmon, Southern baked chicken or blackened catfish.
- New Orleans Spread: Serve this along with shrimp etouffee, gumbo, shrimp po’ boys, and grillades and grits.
Recipe Help
Yep for sure! It actually tastes better if you do. Pop it in the fridge for up to 3 days before you serve it. Just reheat on the stovetop with a splash of water or broth to get the texture back perfectly.
Absolutely boos! Just adjust the amount of the jalapeno or cayenne pepper you add to the rice. Start off with low amounts and scale up depending on your preferences.
Yep for sure boos! You can easily double this recipe to feed a larger crowd. Just get a large pot to accommodate all the additional ingredients.
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Very good, easy recipe. I used chicken liver and gizzards and Serrano peppers, dried thyme and long grain rice. Delicious!
So yummy! Added okra and some diced carrots for some more added color. I didn’t have liver so I used more sausage instead.
I made this recipe today, the day before Labor Day so that the ingredients could blend. I didn’t exactly go by the recipe because I use brown rice and I didn’t have any bay leaves, much to my dismay, but everything else was pretty much on point. It is so tasty I really went overboard with the seasonings because I know the rice with dummy it down a little bit. I found a spice called Slap Ya Mama and I used that instead of the peppers I can’t tolerate too spicy, just spicy enough. Thank you this is the first time I ever made “dirty rice” from scratch.
This is SO flavorful and hearty! I added fresh okra to it because why not? Definitely a keeper!
This is great even with Thai jasmine rice. But I agree that basmati rice usually gives an even fluffier result. Will be remaking this once I restock my rice. 🙂
Oh, I have never heard about such a meal! It is something new for me to try. This rice dish sounds flavorful and looks colorful and delicious. Love it!
Such a flavorful dish. I’ve never had it with chicken livers and Jalapenos. Can’t wait to make this.
Made this with my kids! They were so excited to help in the kitchen (now that they are home) and of course they were even more excited to sample what they made! YUM! My youngest is a HUGE fan of dirty rice!
We love making dirty rice. It’s such a great fridge raid meal too
Would I be able to use chicken gizzards. Thanks in advance.
Absolutely! Gizzards and livers are a mainstay in our dirty rice. Also the holy trinity is celery, onion, & bell pepper. Been Makin’ it for over 40 years.