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.
Bree says
Just made this recipe for the third time. It is a family favorite for sure!! We like to add a can of red beans for another texture and mellow flavor mixed with the spice. Love it!
Nicole F says
Excellent!!! Only regret was that my son wasn’t here to enjoy with me. I can’t eat sausage, so I doubled the thighs. He can, though. Forwarding this recipe and making it part of my rotation. I love the spice of this dish!!!
Treven says
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Jessica says
Can I use just a regular pan if I don’t have a Dutch oven?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, but you’ll need a pan that can go from the stovetop to oven, and that has a lid. You can also use foil to cover the pan in a pinch, and if you don’t have a pan that can go from the stove to oven, you could cook the first 8 steps in any pan, then transfer everything to a baking dish in step 9 and cover with foil 🙂
Mary Ellen churly says
We love this recipe. I add carrots, zucchini and peppers.
Pamela says
This was a great dinner, easy to prepare and tasted great. We’ll making this again!
Joel says
It was awesome added some red peppers because I had some. I also added some fried chicken livers when I took the lid off and put back in the oven. This was a great meal definitely a keeper.
Gen says
This recipe is DELICIOUS and have made it many times for my family with medium heat and sausage link. I plan on making this tonight, what do you think about using ground pork sausage (Jimmy Dean) in place of the link sausage? Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
I’m so glad you love the recipe! I haven’t tested using ground pork sausage in this, but I’m sure it would be delicious 🙂 Just make sure to brown it first.
Joey says
This is amazing, super full of flavor and even better that it only uses 1 pot. Thank you!!
Elyssa Solis says
Explosion of flavor!!!! So easy to make! Thank you!
Colette says
This was delicious! The only made one addition. I added a can of Rotel Dice Tomatoes.
Crystal says
Every time I make this it gets better 🤤🤤
Barb says
Great recipes
Alice says
Delicious! Will definitely be adding this to our dinner rotation. I omitted the jalapeño and added bell peppers.
Michelle Grist-Merrifield says
I am not the best cook. This was so easy and simple. My husband loved it.
James says
This is an absolutely delicious recipe that everyone loves. Really easy to follow and one pot magic! I also add chicken legs to the thighs in a large le creuset dutch oven. It’s a little crowded but works out and provides a lot of leftovers.
We love rice so we follow one of the other comments and add a little more rice and liquid to the recipe.
Shawn says
AMAZING!!! my family loves this dish….we love heat, but I only add the jalapeño and omit the 1/4 tsp cayenne from the “rest of the dish” portion. And for sure leave in the pan drippings for added flavor. We’re having it again tonight. Thank you for such delicious recipe.
Melody says
Absolutely delicious. My kids and husband are sensitive to heat so I omitted the jalapeño and added green bell pepper instead. Will definitely make again!
Melody says
Does the size of the Dutch oven matter? I have a larger Dutch oven I’m hoping I can use.
The Chunky Chef says
I think as long as everything fits and it has a lid, it should work just fine 🙂
Jenahl Alexander says
I made this for dinner for me and my wife, and it turned out great. I did a twist. I smoked the chicken breast as well as my sausage on my smoker and then added that to the mixture. It was delicious!