Dirty Rice with Chicken Livers and Pork
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Spiced pork, rice toasted in the pan fat, and livers minced almost to a paste. The cousin who swears she hates liver takes seconds and never asks what's in it.
The short version
Brown ground pork, then the livers, cook down onion, celery and pepper with a homemade Cajun spice mix, toast the rice in the fat, add stock and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Let it steam off the heat for 10, then fluff in green onions and parsley.
What makes ours better
what we fixed so you don’t have to
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Mince the livers almost to a paste. Livers chopped small melt into the pork and turn the rice savory and rich. Left in chunks, they taste like liver. Fine mincing is the difference.
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Toast the rice in the pan fat. One minute of stirring coats every grain in the browned seasonings, so the rice picks up color and flavor and stays separate instead of clumping.
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Mix your own spice blend. Paprika, thyme, black, white and cayenne pepper take a minute to measure and let you set the heat yourself. Store-bought blends vary a lot in salt.
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Rest it covered for 10 minutes. The steam finishes the top layer of rice evenly, so you don't get a wet bottom and a hard top.
What you need
the usual suspects
- Paprika2 teaspoons
- Dried thyme1 teaspoon
- Chicken livers½ pound
- Ground pork1 pound
- Yellow onion1 medium
- Celery2 stalk
- Green bell pepper1 medium
- Green onions4 large
Spice mix
yes, all of the butter
Steps
deep breath. you’ve got this.
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Mix the spices, mince the livers
Stir the spice mix ingredients together in a small bowl. Pat the livers dry and chop them, then keep chopping and smearing with the side of your knife until they look like a coarse paste.
Chilled livers are firmer and easier to mince. Do it before anything else comes out of the fridge.
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Brown the pork
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the pork and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring now and then, until browned and crumbly with browned bits on the pot bottom, about 7 minutes.
About 7 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Cook the livers
Push the pork to one side and add the minced livers. Stir them into the hot fat and cook, mashing with the spoon, until no pink is left and the mixture looks dark and uniform, about 3 minutes.
About 3 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Soften the vegetables
Add the onion, celery and bell pepper. Cook, scraping up the browned bits, until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the spice mix and cook 1 minute, until it smells toasty.
About 6 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Toast the rice
Add the rice and stir for 1 minute, coating each grain in the fat and seasonings.
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Add stock and simmer
Pour in the stock and scrape the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover and drop the heat to low. Simmer without lifting the lid until the rice is tender and the liquid is gone, 15 to 17 minutes.
Resist peeking. Every lift lets out the steam the rice needs.
About 16 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Rest and fluff
Take the pot off the heat, keep it covered and let it stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork, fold in the green onions and parsley, and taste for salt and hot sauce.
About 10 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
Good to know
read this before somebody asks for seconds
- You can swap the livers for 1/2 pound of finely chopped mushrooms and the rice is still good. Brown them with the vegetables.
- Chicken gizzards, simmered tender and minced, are the traditional extra. Skip them unless you can get them cleaned.
- To scale up, use a wider pot rather than a deeper one so the rice cooks evenly.
- Storage. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days. Freeze up to 3 months. Reheat in a skillet with a splash of stock or water, covered, until hot.
Questions, answered
the questions my cousins text me
What makes dirty rice "dirty"?
The browned pork, minced liver and spices color the white rice a speckled brown, so it looks dirty. That color is where the flavor is.
Can I make dirty rice without liver?
Yes. Use 1/2 pound of finely chopped mushrooms, or 1/2 pound more ground pork, and add an extra pinch of salt. You lose a little richness but the dish still works.
What do I serve with dirty rice?
It is a side for fried or roasted chicken, pork chops, blackened fish or shrimp. Add sausage and it can be a main dish with a green salad.
Why is my dirty rice mushy or sticky?
Usually too much liquid or too much stirring. Measure 2 cups of stock to 1 cup of rice, don't stir after the lid goes on, and let it rest off the heat.
Can I make dirty rice ahead?
Yes. Cook it fully, cool it in a shallow pan, and refrigerate. Reheat covered with a splash of stock and add the green onions and parsley just before serving.
From the table
Made it? Tell me how it went, and who went back for seconds when they thought nobody was looking.
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Published October 29, 2026.