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.
KBJ says
Any chance you have the nutritional values for this recipe?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi there 🙂 As I’m not a nutritionist and don’t want to pass on any inadvertently false information, I don’t provide full nutrition information for my recipes. I’ve had several readers contact me to say that they use http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator to calculate the information for themselves 🙂
Amy says
Made this for the first time a few weeks ago, and I can honestly say that I think it’s one of the best meals I’ve ever cooked (and I’m 50 years old and no slouch in the kitchen!) Even my food-sensitive and very picky autistic son came back for seconds. Luckily, spicy is something he likes – I kept the seeds in the jalapeno, and increased the cayenne & red pepper flakes. 🙂 I made it in a 5 qt enameled dutch oven, and it was perfect. I think for the summer I’m going to grill the chicken (I marinated overnight and the flavors were wonderful) and the sausage, just to give it some extra smoky flavor.
Thank you!!
Scott R. Anderson says
Hi, I am also a fan of Nagi and have made both of her recipes for Thighs and Rice. I wish I could find a recipe where I could make her dishes and yours all on the stove top without having to use the oven.. Can this recipe work just on top of the stove, and if so, what do I have to do modify it. Thanks for
the recipe and I am most sure that Nagi appreciated your comment.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Scott 🙂 Here’s how I would adapt this for a stovetop only version:
Cook the chicken completely on the stove, set it aside and cook the rice on the stove (reduce the liquid by 1/2 cup). Just follow the recipe directions up to the point just before putting it in the oven. Instead of doing that, put the lid on and cook on medium low until the liquid is absorbed (about 12 – 15 minutes). When the rice is almost ready, put the chicken back on top of the rice and put the lid on to warm up, and finish cooking the rice.
Kimmy says
Awesome recipe. Today was the first time I made it. I did cook 8 thighs but the only thing that I did different was when the recipe called for adding the chicken to the rice I opted to grill it while rice and sausage cooked. It turned out fantastic. Will be making this again! Thank you!
Genevieve says
Making this for a fourth time for tonight’s dinner! Soo delicious. I wonder if adding a can of red beans to this recipe along with the rice would work? My husband’s idea actually.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Genevieve 🙂 I’m SO happy that you all love the recipe! Ooooh I think adding a drained can of red beans would be a fantastic addition 🙂
Genevieve Martin says
You are awesome! THANK YOU for the quick response! I’m browning my chicken as I type. I follow you on FB. I posted a pic once of this recipe before. Can’t wait to try it with the beans! Love your recipes! ? Genevieve Martin SA, TX
The Chunky Chef says
You’re welcome!!! I thought your name sounded familiar… thanks for sharing your pic 😀 Thanks for being such a loyal reader 😀
Jana says
What are you thoughts on using pork chops in place of the chicken? I’m going to give it a try as it’s the exact style of recipe I’m looking for!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Jana 🙂 I’ve never done it, but I think it would work well!
FrednToots says
Just had this dish……Outstanding…I added some sausage and crimini mushrooms…Thank you so much….The flavors just popped…I went for the heat.
Bry Jaimea says
Found this via Pinterest, and wow, it looks incredibly delicious and I need it in my life now!
Brandon = says
I’m not a fan of chicken thighs, but I would love to use chicken breasts, or even wings. What would I have to change in this recipe to make that happen?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Brandon 🙂 Not sure about the wings, although a few other readers have successfully substituted chicken breasts (boneless)! I would think reducing the cooking time to 20-25 minutes covered and 10-15 minutes uncovered should work for the boneless chicken breasts 🙂
Shelly says
Made this tonight and the whole family loved it. I used boneless, skinless chicken breast and brown rice. I added 1/2 cup more broth since I was using brown rice and cut the cooking time down to 20 minutes covered and 15 uncovered. Also cut the cayenne pepper in half. This is definitely a keeper in our house. Thanks for sharing!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Shelly 🙂 I’m so glad you all loved it!! Great ways to adapt it to your family’s tastes 🙂
Jamie Engle says
This was delicious! My husband and I loved it. Just need a quick clarification: On step 10, adding the rice and chicken stock, it says to let simmer for one minute. Since the pan was on med-low, there wasn’t really any simmering. I kept it at one minute and everything cooked all the way through, but I was wondering if I should have let it come to a simmer, then gone on to step 11. Thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Jamie 🙂 I’m so glad you both loved it! My pan retains heat very well, so mine had no problem simmering, but that will vary with different pans and burners. I think what you did was just fine 🙂
Jennifer Dolcefino says
Wow!!! This recipe rocks!! It is now going on my family’s rotation. I used 6 chicken breast halves instead and it was so good. Everyone was raving! I have been so bored with my cooking lately and this livened everything up. Thank you! 🙂
Lisa Granger says
I made this the other night and it was a hit! I did attempt a different version as I used brown rice, which I usually make in the rice pot. I did try cooking it on the stove top a few minutes longer and in the oven longer but the rice still had a “bite” to it. Lesson learned. I’ll use the white rice next time.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Lisa 🙂 I’m so happy this recipe was a hit!! Brown rice can certainly be tricky to substitute, glad you enjoyed it anyway!
Paul D. says
After reading some of the requests and comments, I gave the recipe a try and made some changes to it that I thought worked fairly well. I do not have a crock pot as I have a flat surface stove and cast iron cookware doesn’t work that well for my environment. I do, however, have a 3.5qt large bottom ceramic non-stick covered pan that I use frequently for one-pot dishes, and some glass and ceramic bake-ware.
To accommodate my slightly different cooking arrangement, I made the following changes:
Increased rice to 1.5 cups
Increased chicken broth to 2.5 cups
Used 4 boneless chicken breasts cut into halves.
Follow the general instructions, with the following exceptions:
I browned the sausage and the chicken a little longer since they would not be baked as long
I slightly caramelized the onion mixture, since they wouldn’t be baked as long to further release the flavors
When you add the rice, do not add back the chicken and sausage yet. Leave the rice mixture in the pot, bring to a boil, and the reduce to a simmer. Cover promptly and leave alone for 18 minutes.
Bake the chicken and sausage at a reduced oven temp, say 275, while the rice is cooking.
After 18 minutes, check the rice for tenderness. You may need to had a 1/2 cup of broth for evaporation. (I did). Its ok if the rice is a little on the tough side as we are going to bake it for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and sausage from the oven and set to 350. While the oven is heating, turn off the stove, but leave the rice covered.
Transfer the rice mixture to a 13×9 oven safe dish (or similar volume). Sooth out the rice and arrange the chicken and sausage nicely on the top.
Bake for 15 minutes, and then garnish.
I made no other changes to the ingredients. I must say this is a very tasty dish! My hats off to the Chef!
For those who wish to increase the volume, adjust your broth to rice ratio accordingly. Also adjust the spices slightly to account. You may wish to use the stove top method described above as it gives better control of the cooking of the rice.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Paul 🙂 I’m SO happy you enjoyed this dish and were able to make some changes to make it work for you and your home 🙂
Anne says
Hi Paul and the chunky chef.
Thanks for the recipe and your comment. if I plan to use 2 cups of rice, will it overflow my 3.5 quart braiser? I have the deep dutch oven 5.5 qt. but it’s deep so I don’t know how it will affect the food.
Also, for the 5.5 qt. what is the maximum cups of uncooked rice we can use? I tried to find this info. but didn’t have any luck yet.
Looking forward to your reply.
The Chunky Chef says
Without being there and seeing your braiser, I can’t say for certain if it would overflow or not, as different brands have different depths and diameters. Also, I’ve not testing using a deeper dutch oven, but I think it would be alright for this recipe. As for the maximum amount, I wouldn’t do more than 6-8 cups, as that size dutch oven will hold 22 liquid cups.
Since you need to multiply the rice amount by 2.25 to keep the rice/liquid ratio the same, you’ll need to make sure you have some space in there for the chicken, and so it can all cook evenly.
Janet says
The chicken and dirty rice recipe is so good!!! My husband told me I could make that more often. 🙂
Thank you
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Janet 🙂 I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband loved this one pot dish as much as we do!!
Will says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was FANTASTIC! My husband had seconds, which is saying something! I did omit the extra cayenne & red pepper that is added along with the rice, just because I wasn’t sure how hot the end product would turn out. It still had a small kick to it (coming from someone who does like spicy). Next time I’d add even more andouille. There will definitely be a next time!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Will 🙂 I’m SO happy to hear that you both loved this dish!! Thanks for coming back to leave such a nice comment 🙂
Sandra says
What size of Dutch oven/enameled pan did you use?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Sandra 🙂 I linked to the exact pan I used within the post as well as in the recipe itself, but in case you missed it… it’s this 3 quart braising pan http://amzn.to/2gpB9Sw
Ann Verret says
Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs in this recipes? If so, how many?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Ann 🙂 I’ve not made it with boneless chicken breasts, as we love the juicy flavor of the thighs… but I’m sure you could substitute breasts. I would do as many as you can comfortably fit in your pan, probably 3 or 4 (depending on their size). I hope you love it!
Sue says
Made this for supper tonight. Doubled the recipe to feed my family. Instead of adding the chicken back into the pan, I put the rice and chicken into a baking dish. Cooked it for 10 mins longer than the recipe called for and it turned out fantastic. A bit spicy even though I didn’t at the jalapeño pepper. My step son had 3 servings!! We definitely will be making this again! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Sue 🙂 I’m so happy that you all loved this meal! Sounds like you made some great adaptations 🙂
Janet says
This looks delicious!! Is that 1 link of sausage? thanks!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Janet 🙂 Thank you! Yes, 1 link of sausage, unless you’d prefer more.
Sandra says
Delicious and easy
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Sandra 🙂 So happy to hear you enjoyed it!