Dirty Rice

Updated May 31, 2024

Dirty Rice
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(348)
Comments
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The name for this dish comes from how it looks, as the rice grains are speckled with bits of ground meat and seasonings. This version uses chicken livers instead of the common combination of both gizzards and livers to offer a distinct flavor profile. Dirty rice is similar to rice dressing, but it isn’t relegated to just holiday tables. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a spread in Louisiana without it. A much beloved side dish, it’s also worthy of being at the center of the plate as a hearty, rustic main dish. If you have leftover rice, you can skip the first two steps and adjust the seasonings to taste.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • ¾cup long-grain rice
  • cups turkey or chicken stock, or water
  • teaspoons Creole seasoning (see Tip), plus more to taste
  • 1teaspoon unsalted or salted butter
  • ¼pound chicken livers
  • ½pound ground beef (85 percent lean)
  • ½pound ground pork
  • 2tablespoons hot sauce
  • Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
  • 4teaspoons canola, vegetable or extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1small yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1small green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 2celery stalks, thinly sliced
  • 4garlic cloves, minced
  • 1teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ½cup thinly sliced scallion greens
  • ¼cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

403 calories; 22 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 26 grams protein; 490 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold water until the water runs clear. Heat the stock in a medium saucepan over high until boiling. Stir in the rice and 1 ½ teaspoons Creole seasoning, then reduce heat to low to maintain a simmer. Cover the saucepan and cook until the water has evaporated and the rice no longer has any bite, 12 to 15 minutes. If the water evaporates before the rice is done (bite into a grain to see if it’s fully cooked), add ¼ cup water, cover and continue cooking. Once the rice is ready, stir in the butter and set aside while preparing the rest of the dirty rice.

  2. Step 2

    Finely chop the chicken livers. Transfer to a large bowl and add the beef, pork, 1 tablespoon hot sauce, 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir to combine.

  3. Step 3

    Heat 3 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the meat and cook, stirring to break it up, until all of the meat is evenly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the meat to a plate using a slotted spoon. Discard all but 2 teaspoons fat from the skillet.

  4. Step 4

    Add the remaining teaspoon oil to the skillet and heat over medium until the oil shimmers. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the bell pepper and celery, and cook until softened, about 7 minutes more. Stir in the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, remaining tablespoon hot sauce and ½ teaspoon salt. Return the meat to the skillet and add the cooked rice. Stir until combined and heated through. Taste and add more salt, Creole seasoning or hot sauce as desired. Stir in the scallion greens and parsley, and serve warm.

Tip
  • To make your own Creole seasoning, mix 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika; 1½ teaspoons chili powder; ½ teaspoon onion powder; ½ teaspoon garlic powder; ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne; ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Reserve any remaining in an airtight container. You can use store-bought Creole seasoning, but reduce the salt in the dish as commercially manufactured seasonings can be saltier than this homemade one.

Ratings

4 out of 5
348 user ratings
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Comments

Eggplant Dressing was always on the table every holiday and reunion. A variation of Dirty Rice, eggplant was peeled and par-boiled in salted water to remove any bitterness, then stirred into the Dirty Rice until melted. The eggplant compliments the dressing. I started making this on my own omitting the gizzards, liver and heart. I passed this recipe to my niece. She did not like eggplant, now loves it, and makes the eggplant dressing every holiday. (PS. Popeye's makes excellent Dirty Rice.)

As a former New Orleanian and lifelong consumer and maker of dirty rice, I have to ask: what’s up with that photo? Too much liquid in the finished product. I’m looking forward to trying this (otherwise decent-looking) recipe, but can anyone who’s made it tell me if the end result has as much liquid as shown in the photo? Because if it does … that’s not dirty rice.

My favorite market sells gizzards and hearts packaged together. Simmering them in broth or water will give you a wonderful broth in which to cook the rice. Chop and add tender gizzards and hearts to the rice. I don't use livers because they tend to get bitter with overcooking. I do like to use breakfast sausage, broken up and browned instead of the ground pork and beef. Onion, celery, those packages of multicolored peppers, chopped; and a package of frozen, chopped spinach all go into mine.

I put chopped up chicken gizzards in mine. Adds another level of taste and texture.

Delicious! Doubled the chicken livers because my husband and I love them. In my opinion it made a delicious dish even more delicious. Highly recommend!

First, I agree the picture is terrible, moist yet fluffy please! Wish I could upload my picture, it’s far better. Next I used steamed rice instead. The result was far better than the rice cooking method suggested here. LOVED the chicken livers flavor addition, I doubt I’d ever make it differently, even the kids loved it.

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