Cajun Dirty Rice Bowl

About This Recipe

Dirty rice gets its name from the flecked, slightly grayish-brown color the rice takes on from cooking with ground meat and chicken livers, a Cajun and Creole dish born from Louisiana's tradition of using every part of the animal. The holy trinity of onion, celery and bell pepper forms the aromatic base, cooked down until soft before ground pork and finely chopped chicken liver join in, browning together until deeply savory. Rice is stirred in at the end to soak up all the rendered fat and pan drippings, finished with a hit of cayenne and scallions, resulting in a bowl that's humble in appearance but packed with layered, deeply Southern flavor.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupswhite rice(cooked)
• 200 gground pork
• 100 gchicken livers(finely chopped)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1onion(diced)
• 2celery stalks(diced)
• 1green bell pepper(diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1.5 cupschicken stock
• 1 tspcayenne pepper
• 1 tsppaprika
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 3scallions(chopped, for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the trinity

   Heat oil in a large skillet and cook onion, celery and bell pepper until soft, about 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Brown the meat

   Add ground pork and chopped chicken liver, cooking until browned and no longer pink, about 8 minutes.

3. 3

   Season

   Add garlic, cayenne, paprika and salt, cooking 1 minute until fragrant.

4. 4

   Add stock

   Pour in chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer 5 minutes.

   Scrape up the browned fond from the bottom of the pan when adding stock — this is where a lot of the dish's savory depth comes from.

5. 5

   Add rice

   Stir in the cooked rice, tossing to coat evenly in the meat mixture and stock.

6. 6

   Serve

   Garnish with scallions and serve hot.

Variations

• •

  A version without chicken livers relies solely on ground pork or a mix of pork and beef.

• •

  Adding a bit of Cajun andouille sausage gives extra smokiness.

• •

  Some households finish with a dash of hot sauce at the table for extra heat.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days in an airtight container; reheat gently with a splash of stock to loosen the rice.

Frequently Asked Questions