Dirty Rice Recipe with Chicken {Dump-and-Bake}

Add a bit of Cajun spice to your next weeknight dinner with this easy Dump-and-Bake Dirty Rice Recipe with Chicken! The chicken, rice, and vegetables all cook together in one dish for a quick meal with just 10 minutes of prep!

It’s cold outside and Mardi Gras is on the horizon…so how about we warm up with a trip down South? This easy Dirty Rice recipe will take us away!

Even if you’re not planning a New Orleans getaway for all-night celebrations and King Cake, you can experience the zesty Creole flavors with the simple one-dish meal. It’s the easiest way to get a satisfying and flavorful dinner on the table for your family — just stir the raw ingredients together and the oven will do the rest! Now if only I could figure out a way to make dump-and-bake beignets…

Why is Dirty Rice called “Dirty”?

Dirty Rice is a Louisiana tradition, which gets its “dirty” color from cooking the rice with chicken giblets, bell peppers, celery, onion, and spices like cayenne and black pepper. I’ve included all of these original flavors in this dump-and-bake recipe, but I’ve substituted boneless, skinless chicken breasts in lieu of the giblets. For obvious reasons!

How to make Zatarain’s Dirty Rice Recipe with Chicken:

I’ve taken a major shortcut to save us all time and energy: a box of Zatarain’s Dirty Rice mix. The package includes the seasonings right in the box, so you don’t have to spend extra money buying random bottles of spices for one meal. And there’s no measuring! Win-win!

Ingredients:

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast
• Onion
• Green bell pepper
• Celery
• Box of Zatarain’s Dirty Rice mix

Plus, you’ll need water for cooking the rice and sliced green onion as an optional garnish! Let’s get started…

Step 1: Combine All of the Ingredients

In a large bowl or in the baking dish, stir together the raw chicken, onion, bell pepper, celery, uncooked rice mix (with seasonings) and water.

Step 2: Bake the Dirty Rice

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake the rice in a 400 degree F oven for 50 minutes. Then remove the foil, give everything a good stir, and return the dish to the oven for about 5-10 more minutes (or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed). Fluff it with a fork, garnish with sliced green onions, and serve!

What to serve with Dirty Rice and Chicken:

This Cajun meal pairs nicely with any of your favorite Southern sides. Here are a few dishes to serve with the dirty rice recipe:

• A simple green salad dressed in Buttermilk Dressing
• Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits
• Slow Cooker Southern Green Beans
• Oven Roasted Broccoli
• Creamed Spinach
• Creamed Peas
• Corn on the cob or canned corn
• Cornbread

Preparation and Storage Tips:

• Prep ahead: You can dice the chicken and vegetables in advance, and keep them stored in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When it’s time to bake the dinner, just stir everything together and add the water!
• Leftover chicken and rice can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• You can freeze the dirty rice recipe in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:

• If you prefer to start with cooked, diced chicken, that will work too! It’s a great way to use up leftovers from another meal or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
• Instead of chicken, you can substitute with sliced andouille sausage or kielbasa sausage. I recommend browning the sausage in a skillet before adding it to the rice mixture.
• Feel free to add other vegetables or seasonings to your dish. You can stir in corn, diced tomatoes or green beans, for instance.
• The total cooking time may vary, depending on the size and type of dish that you use, as well as your oven. You will know that the rice is done when it’s tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
• To feed a larger family, double all of the ingredients and bake the dirty rice in a 9 x 13-inch dish.

More Cajun-inspired recipes that you might enjoy:

• Dump-and-Bake Cajun Chicken Pasta
• Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
• Easy Shrimp Creole
• Dump-and-Bake Jambalaya
• Shrimp Etouffee with Rice {Dump-and-Bake}
• Slow Cooker + Instant Pot Jambalaya

Dirty Rice Recipe with Chicken {Dump-and-Bake}

5 from 2 votes

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 1 hour hour

0 minutes minutes

Total: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 334 kcal

This easy Dirty Rice Recipe with Chicken is a quick dump-and-bake dinner with just 10 minutes of prep!

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into bite-sized pieces
• ½ cup diced onion
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• ¼ cup diced celery
• 1 (8 oz) box Zatarain’s Dirty Rice mix
• 2 ½ cups water
• Optional garnish: sliced green onion

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
• In the prepared dish (or in a separate bowl), stir together all of the uncooked ingredients until completely combined.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake for 50 mins.
• Remove foil, stir, and return to the oven (uncovered) for 5-10 more minutes, or until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
• Fluff with a fork, allow to sit for about 5 minutes, garnish with sliced green onion, and serve!

Notes

• If you prefer to start with cooked, diced chicken, that will work too! It's a great way to use up leftovers from another meal or a store-bought rotisserie chicken.
• Instead of chicken, you can substitute with sliced andouille sausage or kielbasa sausage. I recommend browning the sausage in a skillet before adding it to the rice mixture.
• Feel free to add other vegetables or seasonings to your dish. You can stir in corn, diced tomatoes or green beans, for instance.
• The total cooking time may vary, depending on the size and type of dish that you use, as well as your oven. You will know that the rice is done when it's tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
• To feed a larger family, double all of the ingredients and bake the dirty rice in a 9 x 13-inch dish.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the recipeCalories: 334kcalCarbohydrates: 45.7gProtein: 31gFat: 2.2gSaturated Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 823.6mgFiber: 2.4gSugar: 1.6g

Keyword: Dirty Rice Recipe, Zatarain's Dirty Rice

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: cajun, creole, Southern

Author: Blair Lonergan

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