Dirty Rice Recipe
My easy dirty rice recipe is an incredible side dish made from scratch with Creole spices, ground beef, chicken livers, and bacon. Liver haters, you’ll love this crazy delicious Creole classic, too!

No, it’s not dirty😉. But the name is fun, isn’t it? Dirty rice is a classic soul food that is flavorful, full of texture, and guaranteed to level up your rice game.
As with most soul food, ingenuity turns what you have available into big, bold flavors. And what better way to use chicken livers? Ground beef and bacon boost the flavor. You could skip the bacon, but why?

What Is Dirty Rice?
The name might put you off if you’ve never heard of it. But it originated in Southern Louisiana as pure soul food. The blend of white rice, spices, aromatics, and small pieces of meat, like chicken livers and gizzards, ground beef, or sausage, is delicious.
The liver and ground beef turn the rice an unexpected dirty brown color. Over the years, this flavorful rice meal has evolved with many variations. I use chicken livers, ground beef, and chopped bacon because I couldn’t resist Immafying it.
How to Make Dirty Rice

- Cook the Bacon – In a large, heavy sauté pan, fry chopped bacon until cooked, 4-5 minutes, and set aside. (Photo 1)
- Aromatics – Add 2 tablespoons of oil or more to the bacon pan (or use the bacon grease😉). Toss in the onions, thyme, bay leaf, and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. (Photo 2)
- Add the Meat – Add chicken liver, ground meat, and Creole seasoning. Then cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. (Photo 3-4)
- Season – Add green bell peppers, celery, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Pour in about 1½ cups of stock. (Photo 5-7)
- Boil and Simmer – Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and then cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the Rice – Finally, add cooked rice and mix thoroughly. Cook until the rice is heated through, 5-7 minutes. If needed, add more stock to prevent it from burning. Remove from the heat and remove the bay leaf. (Photo 8)
- Serve – Stir in the parsley and serve. (Photo 9)
Recipe Tips
- This Southern dirty rice recipe is a great way to use leftovers! Leftover meat, veggies, and rice make a super-fast meal.
- Omit or add some ingredients to suit your palate, such as skipping the liver or adding jalapenos to spice up your rice dish.
Make-Ahead and Leftovers
You can make dirty rice a day ahead of time. Cook the dish as instructed and refrigerate it in an airtight container once cooled. You want it airtight so you don’t lose precious moisture, but a splash of broth will fix it right up if it dries out. You can also cook rice, meats, and veggies in advance separately. Then, stir them together when reheating to serve.
Leftover Cajun-style dirty rice will last up to 3 days in an airtight container or bag in the fridge. It also freezes well for 2-3 months, but tends to dry out. So just add a splash of broth when reheating.
Menu Ideas for an Easy Dirty Rice Recipe
To complete a drool-worthy meal with dirty rice, you’ve got to have an equally easy coleslaw, fresh from the skillet cornbread or hushpuppies, and spicy chicken wings or Cajun shrimp.
More Deliciously Seasoned Rice Recipes to Try
- Seasoned Rice
- Caribbean Rice and Beans
- One Pot Caribbean Jerk Chicken and Rice
- Mushroom Rice
- Cajun Rice
- Vegan Cheesy Rice
This blog post was originally published in May 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Excellent!
Thanks !
Just tried this recipe and I’ll make some tweaks in the future but it turned out pretty well! Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes, this is my go to website. I’ve been trying to expand my cooking abilities since getting married and you’re making me look great in front of my husband lol!
Hi Nneka,
I’m so glad to hear that the Dirty Rice recipe turned out well for you, and even more thrilled to know that this is your go-to website for recipes! It’s wonderful that you’re expanding your cooking abilities, especially as a newlywed.
Cooking is all about tweaking and making a recipe your own, so I’m glad you’re planning to make some adjustments next time. That’s how you become a great cook!
Thank you for your kind words and for sharing your experience. It’s feedback like yours that makes sharing these recipes so rewarding. Keep cooking and impressing your husband! ️✨
I love this recipe so much
Oh great to hear that. Thank you so much!