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.
Joanne says
This recipe was insanely delicious. I have spicy food averse family members so I eliminated the cayenne pepper. I kept the red pepper flakes in the marinade but eliminated for the second half of the recipe. The andouille sausage brought plenty of heat. This combo put the dish at about a medium spice level. We are headed to the mountains in February and this will be a perfect dish to warm us up after a day of playing in the snow.
Sheena Ingersoll says
Hello! I made this exactly as is and it was great! So my bid problem is…my oven at the moment is broken. Could I continue to cook this dish in the dutch oven on a lower temperature without the oven???
The Chunky Chef says
Hello Sheena 🙂 I’ve not tested making this recipe solely on the stovetop, so I can’t say for certain. I’m sure it would work fine, I just don’t know how long it will take without further testing.
Antonetta P says
Made this twice already, in a three week span. It’s a hit! Except I use chicken breasts and beef smoked sausage. Just made it for my work Christmas potluck. I know it will be a favorite. It is so flavorful. I doubled the recipe for this time, except I left the hot spices (red pepper, cayenne) the same and it still had a nice little kick to it. This recipe is a keeper!
Michelle Elle says
This was delicious.!I made it for my husband and he was very pleased. Thank you for the recipe.
calcula says
Kids loved it. very good and easy recipe, i tried it last night
Theodore says
It’s the 💣 I like it alot 👍👍👍🤤😊
Dace Krastina says
This one is a keeper. Had no jalapenos so used fresh red chilli peppers. 🙂 Delicious.
Lyn says
Hello, just wondering if you tried this with 2 cups of rice. If so, did you increase the rice only, or the liquid as well? Did you double the other ingredients (celery, onion, spices, etc)? Thank you in advance. Planning on making this tonight, but we are a rice loving family and will definitely want more rice!
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Lyn 🙂 I’ve only tested this recipe as written, so I can’t say for certain, but I would double everything in the “rest of dish” section, except the sausage and chicken.
Katie says
I’m excited to make this since every other review says AMAZING! However, I don’t like chicken thighs. If I use breasts, do I have to adjust the cooking time?
The Chunky Chef says
I hope you love it! I haven’t tested this recipe except as written, 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
Angela says
I do not often comment when I like or may not like the recipes I try. However, I felt I really should for this. This One Pot Chicken and Dirty Rice was so incredibly delicious and full of various layers of tastes and the chicken was so moist. Also the effort it took to produce this wonderful meal was surprisingly easy, and all in one pot, so easy clean up too. I regularly try new recipes, but this one is the one I will go to when I want the just right comfort food dinner. Thanks so much for posting this winner!
Jenny says
I’ve made this SO MANY times and it’s always a hit ( and I always use brown Rice and triple the veggies 🤷🏻♀️) Have you or anyone tried this in the crockpot yet? Skin likely wouldn’t turn out well… thinking of trying it, thought I’d ask before trying.
Crystal says
Jenny, I’d like to try this with brown rice. Did you have to adjust the cooking time so the rice was cooked thoroughly?
Jen says
Absolutely delicious and easy! I followed the recipe exactly, other than adding a diced green pepper just for more veggies. I used chicken andouille sausage (Trader Joes) which has a little kick to it but kept all other spices as written. My husband and daughters loved it (even my one that doesn’t like a lot of spice…she just ate a couple pieces of the sausage, but loved the rice and chicken). The rice is amazing in this dish!
Ashley says
When using brown rice do you find the liquid or cooking time needs to change?
Art Watanabe says
Hi Amanda,
Other other night, I made this recipe for my wife…IT WAS A HIT!
It was delicious, and easy to make; a keeper for sure!
Thank you,
Art
Laney says
My family LOVES this recipe and it will forever be in constant rotation on the menu plan!!
Lisa says
I am so glad I came across this recipe. My husband LOVES IT. Every time I make this he falls in love with it even more. I make this once a week !!
Jan says
Can I make this in a disposable foil pan as I own no such pan?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, on the stovetop in whatever pan you normally cook in, complete steps 1 -10, then transfer to a disposable pan and bake as directed. To cover, you can use foil.
Shelly says
This was so Amazing! This dish tasted just as awesome as my kitchen smelled when I was cooking it. My only problem is what am I going to make next that can come close to this Fabulous recipe. Thank you sooo much!
Lynette aka breezermom says
This recipe was amazing! Loved the ease of cooking in one pot…..I used conecuh sausage instead of andouille, but otherwise stayed true to the recipe. The smells while it was prepared drove everyone crazy and the taste once we put a bite in our mouths did not disappoint. Thanks for a great recipe!!
Stephanie Williams says
I can’t wait to try this recipe tomorrow! How do you think this recipe would turn out with brown rice? Do you know what adjustments would need to be made, if any, to allow the brown rice to cook? Thank you!
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe using brown rice, so I can’t say for certain what adjustments would need to be made. I would guess some additional liquid and more cooking time.
Belles says
Made this vegetarian using slices of vegetarian chorizo links and Quorn chicken tenders in the recipe’s marinade. My husband was raving about it during dinner and for the rest of the night. We’ll definitely be making it again. Thank you!
Gina says
This is amazing! My first time making the dish. I do wish there would have been more rice. I followed the 1 cup instruction….is there a way to make it 2 cups?
The Chunky Chef says
So glad you love it! I haven’t tested it, but I would think you’d need to double the amount of liquids, and use a deeper pot.
Gina says
I am making this tonight. I do have an enameled dutch oven….however it is deeper then the 3.6qt one that you have. Do you think this will still work properly?
The Chunky Chef says
I think it should turn out just fine 🙂