Cajun Dirty Rice

Cajun Dirty Rice – Cajun rice or “dirty rice” is a traditional Cajun rice pilaf and a Louisiana classic. Traditional Cajun rice uses chopped chicken livers which gives it a distinctive flavor and a dark color dubbing it “dirty” rice.

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Ingredients you’ll need:
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 stalk 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/Creole seasoning [more or less to taste]
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro

Directions:
In a large stove top saucepan, over medium-high heat, sauté the sausage until no pink remains.  [The sausage I used was lean, so very little fat was left in the pan.  If needed, drain all but 3 Tbsp from 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.  Yield: 8 servings

*Cook’s note:
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.

You may also like: Creole Andouille Rice Brunch Bake, Teriyaki Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms and Peas, Italian Rice Pilaf, Kielbasa and Shrimp Rice Casserole, One Skillet Beef Meatballs and Rice with Peas. 

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Cajun Dirty Rice

Servings 8

Author Melissa Sperka

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 stalk 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/Creole seasoning [more or less to taste]
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro

Instructions

1. In a large stove top saucepan, over medium-high heat, sauté the sausage until no pink remains. [The sausage I used was lean, so very little fat was left in the pan. If needed, drain all but 3 Tbsp from the pan.]
2. 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.
3. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the veggies begin to soften and brown.
4. Add the rice. Stir the rice and cook for 1-2 minutes until it begins to brown.
5. Add the chicken stock, creole seasoning and bay leaves. Lower the temperature and simmer over medium-low heat covered for 25 minutes.
6. Cook until the rice is fully tender and the broth has been absorbed.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Keep covered until serving.

Recipe 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.