This one pot chicken and dirty rice is a dish washing hater’s dream! The chicken is cooked on top of the rice for the most flavorful dish ever!
Amazing Cajun-style flavors collide in this one pot chicken and dirty rice! The crispy chicken, spicy andouille sausage and fluffy dirty rice… all made from scratch… make each bite a true explosion of flavor!
Everyone loves a great one pot meal. Anytime you can lessen the amount of dishes that need washed, it’s a huge win. That’s the second reason why I love this one pot chicken and dirty rice SO much.
The first reason why I love this one pot chicken and dirty rice so much… is the FLAVOR!! Yep, that deserves to be in all caps, because it’s. just. that. GOOD! Even the leftovers will knock your socks off.
There really aren’t any surprise or secret ingredients to make it so good, it’s more about HOW it’s cooked. The chicken and andouille cook on top of the rice, which means all the delicious juices go right down into the rice. It’s like cooking the rice in a super concentrated chicken stock full of spices!
I used this cooking method from an amazing blogger, Nagi, from RecipeTin Eats, and just adapted it to these Cajun-style flavors!
If you’re worried about the spice, you can totally customize it to your tastes. Here’s how…
To Make it Hotter:
- Don’t take the seeds out of the jalapeno
- Add more than one jalapeno
- Use more cayenne and red pepper flakes
To Make it Milder:
- Use a green bell pepper instead of the jalapeno
- Use less cayenne and red pepper flakes
- Substitute regular smoked sausage for the andouille
This is one instance where I really love using my enameled dutch oven. There will be baked on bits of food that will probably need soaking (which you can’t do with a regular cast iron), and it browns food like a dream.
Give this one pot chicken and rice a chance this Fall… I really think you’ll love the Cajun-style flavors!! Simply put, you need this dish in your life!
Helpful Tools for This Recipe:
Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Braiser – This is my go-to pot for just about any dish like this… plus, cleanup is a dream!
Long Grain White Rice – I really like this brand!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- MARINADE:
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried minced onion
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- enough olive oil to make a paste about 1 Tbsp, but this will vary from person to person
- REST OF DISH:
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 link of andouille sausage sliced into 1/4" slices
- 4 bone-in skin on chicken thighs
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup DRY long-grain rice
- 2 1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
- Sliced green onions for garnish
- Minced fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add chicken thighs and turn to coat. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add drizzle of olive oil to dutch oven and heat over MED-HIGH heat. Brown andouille sausage on both sides, then transfer sausage to a plate.
- Add chicken thighs, skin side down, and sear for 2-3 minutes per side, to develop a nice crispy skin.
- Transfer chicken to plate with the sausage, and use a paper towel to wipe out any black bits from the pan. Brown bits and pan drippings are good to leave in though.
- Lower heat to MED-LOW and add in chopped onion, jalapeno and celery. Saute for about 2-3 minutes, until softened.
- Add cayenne, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper and stir.
- Add rice and chicken stock, give it a stir, and let simmer for 1 minute.
- Nestle chicken thighs and sausage on top of the rice (pour in the juices that are left on the plate as well). Return to a simmer, then cover.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (covered).
- Remove cover and bake another 10-15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed into the rice.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and minced parsley!
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Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Becky Breen says
I make this at least once per year. I leave the garlic and dried onion out of the chicken marinade because for me they always burn badly. I just put the garlic in at the next step. It’s so tasty and a good dish for company if you know they can handle some heat! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Kovacevich Shelley says
This was so easy and very tasty x
Valerie says
Love this recipe! Just made it again for the umpteenth time. There are never any leftovers.
Renee Santoyo says
I love this recipe and my son does as well. I made it for him and now he asks me to make it for him a lot. It’s so good and flavorful. Thank you for sharing it.
Courtney Lingerfelt says
This has become one of our favorite meals!! Everything about this recipe is perfect. Thank you for such a great recipe!
Sophie says
Possible to do this with chicken breast? If so what changes to make
The Chunky Chef says
To make using boneless skinless chicken breasts, add chicken to the pan 15 minutes into the covered baking time, then continue as directed. Chicken breasts won’t need as long to cook, and this ensures that they won’t dry out too much.
Gloria says
I make this exactly as shown. Delicious!
Tiff says
This is yummy! It definitely doesn’t need 40-50 minutes of cook time. I covered and baked for 15 minutes, then 10 minutes uncovered. I did use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but they temped at 190 in that time. Worked great!
Rob says
Fed family of five. Wonderful! I doubled the rice and added four cups of chicken stock. Used Montreal Chicken seasoning instead of the spices in recipe. Same time in oven as in recipe. Delicious!!!!!! Thank you!!!!
Michelle says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely stellar! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs because it was what I had on hand. This is fantastic. Thank you for the great recipe!
Michael Leroux says
Just love love love this dish! We make it quite often! I adjust the heat down just a tad! Yummy!
Vanessa says
Perfect marinade! I’ve made this chicken so often like this and everyone likes it 😊 I don’t always make it with rice, but it always works out amazing!
Theresa Atkins says
My family loves this dish they are always asking me to make it especially at Holiday time they love it easy and full of flavor thanks
Amanda Foster says
I have picky eaters and this is the number 1 requested dinner when I ask my boys what they want for dinner. It’s easy but yet smells like a Sunday dinner that you have spent all day working on.