Dirty Rice

Dirty Rice is a popular dish in Southern cooking that can be enjoyed as a tasty meal on its own or as a hearty side. It gets its name from the dark color and crumbled up pieces of meat that makes rice look as dirty as the Mississippi River in the delta region.

This unique appearance sets it apart from other rice dishes and contributes to its distinct identity in Southern cuisine. While the appearance of Dirty Rice may not be the most beautiful dish, its flavor more than makes up for it. Give it a try and you’ll understand why it is a favorite dish “Down South”.

Ingredients

Giblets – These usually consist of hearts, livers, gizzards, and necks. We have a few on the crew that refuse to eat liver or hearts, so we stick to just gizzards. We don’t think that cooking the neck and picking through the meat makes enough of a difference to include them. Feel free to use any, all, or none of the giblet parts.

Chicken broth or stock – you can substitute with water, but we guarantee using stock will add a lot more flavor to the finished dish.

Bacon fat – can be substituted with vegetable oil or butter, but this ingredient will also add more flavor.

Onion – white or yellow can be used

Celery 

Bell pepper – you can use any color you choose.

Green onions –  use the white and green parts

Garlic – freshly minced or garlic paste are fine

Parsley –  we prefer fresh parsley, but go ahead and use dried if that is all you have, but reduce it to 1 tablespoon of dried.

Ground beef – can be substituted with ground turkey or chicken

Ground breakfast sausage – can be substituted with more ground beef, or ground pork. Breakfast sausage just has more flavor.

Worcestershire sauce 

Cajun or Creole seasoning – substitute with a blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, oregano, and cayenne pepper

Jasmine rice – plain white long grain rice can be used, but it has a higher water to rice ratio, so you’ll need to use less rice. Whichever kind of rice you choose to use, use enough rice for 6 cups of water. 

Salt – taste your broth before adding any salt. 

Hot sauce (optional)

How to Make Dirty Rice

1 – To begin, pour the chicken broth into a pot and heat it until it reaches a boil. Once boiling, add the chicken giblets to the pot, put the lid on, and lower the heat. Let the giblets simmer in the broth until they become tender. Keep in mind that gizzards will need around 30 to 45 minutes to cook through, while chicken livers will only require about 15 minutes. When the giblets are tender, take them out of the broth and place them on a plate to cool down. Make sure to keep the giblet broth for later use.

2 – In a large pot, melt the bacon fat over medium-high heat. Once the fat has melted, add the chopped onions, celery, bell peppers, and green onions to the pot. Stir the vegetables frequently and cook them until they soften, which should take approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Next, add the minced garlic and parsley to the pot and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes.

3 – Now, add the ground beef and pork to the pot with the vegetables. As the meat cooks, break it up into smaller pieces. Continue cooking until the meat is fully cooked through. While the meat is cooking, finely chop the cooled giblets.

4 – Once the meat is cooked, add the minced giblets, reserved giblet broth, Worcestershire sauce, and Cajun or Creole seasoning to the pot. Stir everything together until well combined and bring the mixture to a boil. Taste and add salt if needed.

5 – Finally, add the rice to the pot and stir it into the meat and vegetable mixture. Put the lid on the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow the rice to cook, without lifting the lid, for 15 to 20 minutes. After this time, remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, still covered, for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow the rice to absorb any remaining liquid and become fluffy.

6 – Remove the lid, stir, and serve.

Dirty Rice vs. Cajun Rice

True Dirty Rice uses giblets, either from turkey or chicken. If the thought of that makes you a little queasy, it’s OK, add an extra 1/2 pound of sausage or ground beef. No one says you have to make an authentic version, it’s your kitchen!

While Dirty Rice has its roots in Cajun and Creole cultures, it is not “Cajun rice”. Some would have you believe that, but they are wrong. These are NOT the same, they are two distinct dishes that only share rice as a common component.

Dirty Rice is loaded with ground beef, ground breakfast sausage, and giblets but has no tomato products in it. Cajun rice has tomatoes in it but does not contain any meat. We have a Cajun rice recipe coming out soon, it is in the test kitchens now. True Southerners cooks know the difference… 

Dirty Rice is sometimes called rice dressing, but should NEVER be called Cajun rice. Please know the difference before ordering either in a restaurant in the South, you’ll just embarrass yourself.

Can I Use Long Grain Rice Instead?

You can! We just prefer the way jasmine rice holds up and cooks. When using long grain rice, increase the amount of rice, it has a lower water to rice ratio than Jasmine. There will be roughly 6 cups of liquid left from simmering the giblets. You’ll need about 6 cups of long grain rice.

We use about 1 1/4 cups of liquid for every cup of Jasmine rice when we are making our shrimp fried rice, so we started doing that with all of our recipes using Jasmine rice. The directions on the bag will tell you to use 1 1/2 cups of water to every cup, but don’t do unless you want your rice to be clumpy and kind of sticky.

What Gives Dirty Rice its Distinctive Color? 

The combination of finely chopped chicken giblets, ground beef, and sausage gives Dirty Rice its signature dark, “dirty” color.

Can I Make Dirty Rice Without Giblets? 

Yes, if you’re not a fan of giblets, you can omit them and replace them with extra ground beef or sausage. We aren’t fans of chicken livers or hearts, so we just use gizzards. We don’t use necks because they are a lot of work to pick clean.

Is Dirty Rice Spicy? 

Dirty Rice can be mildly spicy, depending on the amount of Cajun or Creole seasoning used. You can adjust the spice level to your preference.

Can I Make Dirty Rice Ahead of Time? 

Yes, you can make Dirty Rice ahead of time and reheat it when ready to serve. Like any other rice dish, the feel may be affected.

Is Dirty Rice a Main Dish or a Side Dish? 

Dirty Rice can be served as either a main dish or a side dish, depending on your preference and the occasion.

Is Dirty Rice a Traditional Cajun or Creole dish? 

Dirty Rice is a traditional dish in both Cajun and Creole cuisine, originating in Louisiana.

Serving Suggestions  

Dirty Rice can be served on its own as a main course, or as a side dish alongside other Southern favorites like gumbo, jambalaya, fried chicken, fried pork chops, or collard greens. You could even use it as stuffing for bell peppers with a Cajun flair.

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