Louisiana Dirty Rice

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Creole

Keyword: dirty rice

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: persons

Calories: 363kcal

Author: Kenneth Temple

This Dirty Rice recipe is layered with flavors from the ground organ meat, Cajun spices, and holy trinity. It's great for large crowds.

Ingredients

2 lbs. gizzards rinsed
½ lb. chicken livers rinsed
2 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
1 lbs. rice cooked (2 cups raw)
3 tablespoons oil
1 lbs. ground chuck
1 onion chopped medium
1 bell pepper chopped medium
3 stalks celery chopped medium
6 garlic cloves chopped medium
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons worcestershire
1 tablespoon dry oregano
2 tablespoons Savory Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 bunch green onions chopped

Instructions

In a pot add gizzards, livers, and 2 tablespoons salt and cover with water then bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Skim off water as gizzards cook. Reserve 2 cups of stock.
Add the livers and gizzards to a bowl to cool. Cut the gizzards from the sinew add gizzards to the food processor and blitz on high until it resembles ground meat.
Chop the livers add to the food processor and blitz on high until it resembles ground meat.
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, heat oil; once the oil is hot, add ground beef, and cook until water evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add onions, bell pepper, and celery cook for 3 minutes, then add garlic, bay leaves, worcestershire, oregano, savory, salt, cayenne, and gizzards; cook for 1 minute. Stir in 1 ½ cups of gizzard stock, rice, and half the green onions, making sure it’s coated evenly.
Taste and adjust seasoning, serve immediately and garnish with green onions.

Notes

How To Store Dirty Rice

After the dirty rice cools, place it in an airtight container in the fridge for 7 days. Keep in the freezer in an airtight container or a freezer storage bag for 3 months. Thaw 24 hours before using.

To reheat, bring a small amount of chicken, vegetable, or beef broth or water to a boil and stir in dirty rice; cook until hot. A ¼ cup of liquid will be enough for 1 cup of rice.

Pro Recipe Tips & Tricks

Here are the best practices, techniques, substitutes, and flavor builders you'll need so the authentic Cajun flavor shines!

You want to cook the ground meat until it gets crispy and leaves a brown fond on the bottom of the skillet. This is what brings a depth of flavor to the dirty rice.
Do not drain the ground beef; that's flavor!
Don't be afraid of the chicken liver, gizzards, and hearts. They're loaded with flavor and nutrients.
You can still make a bomb dirty rice without chicken livers.
Use any long-grain white rice or instant rice instead of cooking your own.
Using hot leftover rice will create a mushy texture.
Feel free to use ground turkey as a healthier alternative instead of ground beef. You don't need ground chicken because you'll use ground chicken organ meat.
You can use your favorite ground sausage instead of ground beef.
You can use any color bell pepper. I like to use red to add a pop of color for the final presentation.
You can use Italian seasoning instead of dry oregano.
Creole seasoning and Cajun seasoning can be used interchangeably.
You never cook rice in dirty rice unless you use par-boiled (converted rice). This will help preserve the delicate chicken livers.
Boil 2 cups of white rice in 6 cups of water until the rice is tender, then drain and cool.
Add some dirty rice to your stuffed peppers.

Nutrition