Dirty Rice (Cajun Rice)

by Mike Hernandez November 15, 2020

This is a classic side dish for the holidays in Louisiana; it's so easy to make and gone in a heartbeat once it's served. Yes, there's a reason it's called dirty rice… it is made with chicken livers. Wait! Don't run away just yet! While you can make this without the chicken livers, it does give it a fantastic background flavor (that is NOT in any way overpowering), we promise. You can definitely call it "Cajun Rice" and just not tell anyone about the chicken livers (that's typically what we do). This is definitely a crowd-peaser dish and for good reason. The cajun "trinity" (onions, peppers, and celery) is always a good base of flavors, but add in the bay leaves and chicken stock along with the background flavor from the chicken liver and the strong foreground of good sausage and it's clear why this is such a table staple in Louisiana.

We like the hint of background flavors that the coconut oil lends here but you can substitute avocado or olive oil as desired. We like the flavor of Italian sausage for this recipe, but feel free to experiment with your favorite sausage. As always, we use poblanos for the peppers, but if they are hard to find in your area or you prefer them use green bell peppers. The cooked rice needs to be cooled otherwise it will get mushy when you add it to the broth and leave you with an undesirable texture and mouth-feel. Finally, stir the sausage and chicken livers constantly as they are cooking and continue when you add the vegetables. Once you get to the point of adding the broth and bay leaves, you will scrape up all the browned bits that are sticking to the bottom of the pan and that adds incredible depth to the flavor of the final dish.

As always, from our table to yours... #SpiceConfidently #EssenceOfFlavor #ChemistryInTheKitchen #CasaMSpice

— Mike Hernandez

ingredients

For the Dirty Rice

3 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 pound chicken livers, fine dice
1 pound pork sausage, removed from the casing and crumbled
1 cup sweet onion, fine dice
1 cup poblano chile, fine dice
1 cup celery, fine dice
1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Casa M Spice Co® Chain Reaction®
1 Tablespoon Casa M Spice Co® Uncontrolled Cattle Drive®
2 cups chicken broth
3 bay leaves
5 cups cooked white rice, chilled

FEATURED QUOTE

While you can make this without the chicken livers, it does give it a fantastic background flavor (that is NOT in any way overpowering), we promise.

- Mike Hernandez

LET’S GET COOKING

1.
Heat the coconut oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. When the oil just starts smoking, add the chicken livers and sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned well.
2.
Add the diced vegetables, Chain Reaction® and Uncontrolled Cattle Drive® to the pan and sauté for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables soften a bit and the onions start to turn translucent.
3.
Add the chicken stock and bay leaves to the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits off the bottom and integrate them into the broth. Bring the pan to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer.
4.
Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
5.
Add the rice to the pan and stir thoroughly, then cover and let simmer just until the rice is heated through (about another 5 minutes).
6.
Remove the pan from the heat, remove the bay leaves from the pan, and serve immediately.

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