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!
Sooooo, dishes. Who hates ’em? *raises hand* The amount of dishes I do on a weekly basis as I develop and test recipes out for the blog… man, it’s just astounding. And thankfully, my husband is ah-mazing and washes the dinner dishes for me (I cook, he washes), but even so, I just despise them. That’s the second reason why I love this one pot chicken and dirty rice SO much. All you have to clean is ONE pot (well, plus the plate and mixing bowl). Yay for less pans to wash!!!
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 realllllly 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. I don’t have a fancy LeCreuset or Staub, but use my trusty Lodge pan… it works like a champ! This is the one I have.
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
- Tbsp enough olive oil to make a paste about 1
- 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!
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
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.
Margaret says
I’m in Cajun country and frequently make “old school jambalaya”. It is delicious, but takes more than a minute to prepare, and lots of stirring. This is a good, quick short cut recipe that is really good! Left overs, as with the old school jambalaya, are just as good, and possibly better, the day after.
Kristin says
Any way to make it using instant rice?
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t advise using instant rice in this recipe, it doesn’t turn out well.
Andrea says
Yeah I wasn’t paying attention and used instant rice. Had to throw it out because my kids wouldn’t even touch it. The flavors however are phenomenal!
Kurt says
Loved the recipe!! Made it several times already last time I also added shrimp along with the Chicken and andouille sausage and took it to a completely different level.
Katrina says
Made this pretty much as directed except: used boneless and (almost) skinless thighs, a random “hot” uncured sausage available at our grocery store, Jasmine rice, and veggie broth. I got distracted at the time I was supposed to remove the lid so not removed for the last 10 minutes of cooking and all turned out great! I would say this is really versatile dish. Thanks much! A perfect Mardi Gras treat!
Jennifer says
I have been making this dish for about 1 year. I use boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs, sweet peppers and basil. Big hit. Enough heat to keep the the teenager happy but not to much for us older folk.
dano says
I cheated and only did the rice, chicken and sausage but still a success.
Laney says
I make this all of the time with chicken breasts. It is a family favorite with lots of flavor and cooks up beautifully in either cast iron or enamaled cast iron!
Lori in Colorado says
Wondering if chicken breasts and thighs would work? Everyone loves something different here!
The Chunky Chef says
I completely get it, we’re a mixed family when it comes to chicken cuts as well! You can use chicken breasts and/or boneless thighs instead of bone in thighs, just add the chicken to the pan about 15 minutes into the baking time since they won’t need as long to cook 🙂
Dave in NC says
Fantastic dish! Part of my regular rotation and I typically double the recipe – cooked in a 6 quart Dutch oven.
Barbara VanDusen says
This was super delicious. Spicy but not too. I used pork sausage instead of hamburger and green peppers. We loved it. Easy to make too.
Erika says
Can this be made with boneless / skinless chicken thighs?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, but since the chicken won’t need as long to cook, add them to the dish about 15 minutes into the baking time.
Erika says
Awesome – thank you! and thank you for the quick reply. Chicken has been hard to find in my area and I picked up a pack of boneless/skinless thighs and had no idea what to do with them …now I do! lol
Walter Larsen says
Awesome recipe! I use kielbasa and it turns out great every time. Cool this in my Dutch oven when I camp out in the Utah desert and my friends always love this dish
Angel says
Hello,
I plan on making this recipe this week, the andouille sausage I found is already cooked, I’d this ok? I wasn’t able to find it uncooked.
The Chunky Chef says
The andouille sausage available in my area is smoked, so it’s already cooked as well, and it works just fine 🙂
Courtney Granata says
Can you use long grain brown rice instead of white rice?
The Chunky Chef says
This recipe doesn’t work with brown rice of any kind, as it requires a different liquid to rice ratio and a much longer cooking time.
Kim says
This recipe is really well rated, and I have tried to make this for a long time with no success. Every time that I make this dish, the rice comes out very oily and mushy. What am I doing wrong? Please respond soon. I really want this dish to work out!
The Chunky Chef says
Hmm, I’ve never had that happen, but a few things come to mind. Are you making any substitutions or changes? Even changing the type of rice will throw the recipe off. The other thing is have you checked that your oven is calibrated? I only ask because in our old house, I noticed I was having issues with baking things and it turns out our oven was over 50°F off! You could also try to reduce the amount of oil and broth a little to make it less mushy and oily.
Sarah says
Made this twice now. I LOVE it – super tasty and easy to make (…and i can’t cook)
Bunnye T. says
Very flavorful, and I did not change the recipe one bit! Thank you, Chef
Robyn says
Outstanding delicious craveable! Made this for my family and my son in law actually came down after we were all In for the night and polished off the rest! Thank goodness he’s a keeper anyway!
Duskin Deichl says
I have made this recipes probably ten times now. It’s inexpensive but tastes amazing. My family loves it so much!
Kelly Parsons says
My son who loves jambalaya made this on his last turn to cook dinner with me. It was amazing! One of the best recipes I’ve tried in a while.