Easy One Pot Dirty Rice, a Cajun Classic

Are you looking for simple flavor packed meal that cooks up in one pot? Dirty Rice is a fabulous combination of rice, ground pork and Cajun spices that cooks up easily, and quickly, that your family will love.

This dish is perfect for Mardi Gras as well as any busy weeknight throughout the year. Read on to learn how easily this Cajun classic is to make at home.

The recipe for this Cajun classic is based on one from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen, reducing the fat a bit and omitting the chicken gizzards. No one in this house would touch it if they caught me adding those.

I added some ground chicken livers separately to my portion. You can omit them if you wish, but they are traditionally part of the dish.

All of Prudhomme's recipes mix the spices separately, then add to the dish. This allows you to adjust the ratio of spices before it is already in the pot. If you have Prudhomme's Cajun Magic, or another Cajun spice (like Zatarain's) you like, save yourself the step of making your own spice blend.

Ingredients for Dirty Rice

The list of ingredients may seem long. Half of it is for the spice mix. As I said above, which you probably skipped, if you have a Cajun spice mix you can use that.

• ground pork
• white rice
• chicken stock
• chicken livers
• chicken fat (or olive or vegetable oil)
• onion, celery, bell pepper (aka "the trinity")
• garlic cloves
• spices: dried minced garlic, cayenne pepper, dry mustard, paprika, cumin, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper and bay leaves

Note: the dried minced garlic in the spice mix is a coarser grain than garlic powder. If you use powdered garlic you may want a bit less than a tablespoon.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

Looking for more Cajun and Creole recipes for Mardi Gras? The Our FamilyT able bloggers have some suggestions:

• Cajun Shrimp Bake by Making Miracles
• Dirty Rice by That Recipe
• King Cake Spritz Cookies by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• New Orleans Fried Oyster Salad by Art of Natural Living
• New Orleans Style Remoulade Sauce by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Shrimp Étouffée by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Vegan Jambalaya by Magical Ingredients

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Recipe

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Ingredients

 

Seasoning Mix

• 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground red pepper (cayenne)
• 1 ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 ¼ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

Dirty Rice

• 2 tablespoons chicken fat (or olive or vegetable oil)
• ½ pound ground pork
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ cup onion (finely chopped)
• ½ cup celery (finely chopped)
• ½ cup bell pepper (finely chopped)
• 1-2 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ⅓ pound ground chicken livers (optional)
• ¾ cups white rice (uncooked)

Instructions

 

• Combine seasoning mix in a small bowl and set aside.
  1 tablespoon dried minced garlic, 2 teaspoons ground red pepper, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 ¼ teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• Melt chicken fat in a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté pork and bay leaves until meat is browned , about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2 tablespoons chicken fat, ½ pound ground pork, 2 bay leaves
• Reduce heat to medium and add seasoning mix, onions, celery, peppers and garlic and cook until onion starts to become translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent too much sticking.
  ½ cup onion, ½ cup celery, ½ cup bell pepper, 1-2 cloves fresh garlic
• Add stock and loosen all of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add chicken livers and cook for 2 minutes.
  2 cups chicken stock, ⅓ pound ground chicken livers
• Add rice and stir. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let rice sit, covered, for another 5-10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
  ¾ cups white rice
• Remove bay leaves and serve.

Notes

Adapted from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen 

More Easy Mardi Gras Recipes

Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey