One-Pot Chicken and Dirty Rice is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight dinner. It combines tender chicken pieces with savory rice that is seasoned with spices, herbs, and vegetables. The best part is that it all cooks in just one pot, making clean-up a breeze.
How To Make:
To make this dish, start by sautéing diced onions, bell peppers, and celery in a large pot or Dutch oven until they are tender. Then, add diced chicken and brown it on all sides. Next, add rice, chicken broth, and a variety of seasonings, including cumin, paprika, and thyme. Let everything simmer together until the rice is cooked and the chicken is tender and juicy.
One of the key ingredients in this dish is the "dirty rice." This is a type of rice that is flavored with chicken giblets, which are cooked and then ground up to add a rich, meaty flavor to the dish. However, if you don't have giblets or prefer not to use them, you can substitute them with ground sausage or beef.
One-Pot Chicken and Dirty Rice is a versatile dish that can be customized to your liking. You can add in other vegetables like carrots or mushrooms, or even swap out the chicken for shrimp or sausage. It's an excellent way to use up any lingering ingredients you might have in your cupboard or refrigerator.
Tips and Variations:
Use bone-in chicken: For extra flavor, you can use bone-in chicken pieces like thighs or drumsticks instead of boneless chicken. Just remember to modify the cooking time appropriately.
Add more heat: If you like your food spicy, you can add some cayenne pepper or hot sauce to the dish. Alternatively, you can use spicy sausage instead of mild sausage.
Make it vegetarian: If you want to make a vegetarian version of this dish, you can skip the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. You can also add in some extra veggies like zucchini or eggplant.
Use brown rice: For a healthier version of this dish, you can use brown rice instead of white rice. Just keep in mind that brown rice takes longer to cook, so you may need to adjust the cooking time or add more liquid.
Add beans: To make this dish even more filling, you can add some canned beans like black beans or kidney beans. Just be certain to drain and rinse them first.
Top with herbs: Before serving, you can sprinkle some chopped fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro on top for extra flavor and color.
Meal prep: This dish makes great leftovers, so you can make a big batch and portion it out for easy meal prep throughout the week. Just reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound of boneless, skinless, and diced chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup chicken giblets (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions:
The olive oil should be heated on high in a sizable pot or Dutch oven. Add the celery, onion, bell peppers, and garlic, and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies are soft.
Add the chicken to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.
Add the rice, chicken broth, salt, paprika, thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf to the pot. If using chicken giblets, add them to the pot now.
After bringing the mixture to a boil, turn the heat down to low and cover the saucepan. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is soft
If using chicken giblets, remove them from the pot and discard them. Remove the bay leaf and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top.
Serve hot, garnished with additional parsley if desired.