Name: Cajun Dirty Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 lb bulk breakfast sausage [*see cook's note]; 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce; 1 small green bell pepper (diced); 1 small red bell pepper (diced); 1 medium sweet onion (diced); 1 rib celery (diced); 4 cloves garlic (minced); salt & black pepper to taste; 1 1/2 cups long grain rice [such as Uncle Ben's Converted Rice]; 5 cups low sodium chicken stock or water; 2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning (adjust to taste); 2 bay leaves; 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro

Cajun rice or "dirty rice" is a traditional Cajun rice pilaf and a beloved Louisiana classic. This Cajun Dirty Rice is my spin on traditional Cajun rice and it's turbo charged with flavor. Serve it as a kicked-up side any day of the week with a generous drizzle of hot sauce on the side.

Traditional Dirty Rice

Traditional dirty rice uses chopped chicken livers which gives it a distinctive flavor and a dark color dubbing it "dirty" rice. It typically starts with a trinity of diced bell pepper, celery and onion but as with any recipe, variations always depend on the cooks preference. My family loves Cajun food, but chicken livers? Not so much. I developed this version to suit their taste and it is a regular rotation on our menu now.

What Goes Well with Cajun Dirty Rice?

I love serving Cajun Dirty Rice with chicken either barbecued or grilled chicken, chicken tenders or pork tenderloin rubbed with a sweet bourbon seasoning.
You could also serve this rice with crispy chicken sandwiches, buttermilk fried chicken or pinto beans.
It's hearty enough to serve as a main dish, if you're so inclined. It's guaranteed to put smiles on the faces of those you're feeding.

Other Rice Dishes to Add to the Menu

You may also enjoy these rice recipes in the MSSK recipe index:

Creole Andouille Rice Brunch Bake
Teriyaki Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms and Peas
Italian Rice Pilaf
One Skillet Beef Meatballs and Rice with Peas from The Food Charlaton

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4.6 from 5 votes

Cajun Dirty Rice

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Total Time50 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cajun-dirty-rice

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 352kcal

Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

1 lb bulk breakfast sausage [*see cook's note]
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 small green bell pepper diced
1 small red bell pepper diced
1 medium sweet onion diced
1 rib celery diced
4 cloves garlic minced
salt & black pepper to taste
1 ½ cups long grain rice [such as Uncle Ben's Converted Rice]
5 cups low sodium chicken stock or water
2 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning adjust to taste
2 bay leaves
¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro

Instructions

In a large stove top saucepan, over medium-high heat, sauté the sausage until no pink remains. Drain excess fat reserving 3 Tbsp in the pan.
Deglaze the pan with Worcestershire sauce scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the diced veggies and garlic. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Cook for 5-7 minutes until the veggies begin to soften and brown.
Add the rice. Stir the rice and cook for 1-2 minutes until it begins to brown.
Add the chicken stock, creole seasoning and bay leaves. Lower the temperature and simmer over medium-low heat covered for 25 minutes.
Cook until the rice is fully tender and the broth has been absorbed.
Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Keep covered until serving.

Notes

If you'd like to add liver to the rice, 4 oz of chopped chicken livers will do nicely. Cook along with the ground sausage then proceed with the recipe as written.

Nutrition

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