Cajun/Creole · Cajun · main

Cajun Dirty Rice Skillet

Cajun Dirty Rice Skillet reads umami 6.5, richness 5.7 and allium 4.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Cajun/Creole · Cajun main, about 58 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.5 · Richness 5.7 · Allium 4.5 · Salinity 3.5 · Herbaceous 2.7 · Heat 2.6 · Sweetness 2.5 · Smoke 2.4 · Warm Spice 2.1 · Earthy 1.9 · Bitterness 1.5 · Floral 0.9 · Fruity 0.7 · Nutty 0.6 · Sourness 0.6

What's in it (16)

Time & effort: about 58 min (53 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 116.1 kcal, 7.2 g protein, 5.5 g fat, 12 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (10 steps)

  1. Dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery into a fine, even chop (the Cajun trinity), mince the garlic, and finely chop the chicken livers; keep them separate until you need them.
  2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground pork, breaking it into small pieces, and cook until deeply browned with no pink remaining and it registers at least 160°F, 7-8 minutes. Transfer the pork to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan.
  3. Add the chopped chicken livers to the same pan and cook, stirring often, until browned on the outside and cooked through to 165°F with no pink in the center, 4-5 minutes. Transfer the livers to the bowl with the pork.
  4. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the pan. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery, and sauté until the onion is translucent and just starting to turn golden at the edges, 5-6 minutes.
  5. Stir in the garlic, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and cayenne, and sauté until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
  6. Return the browned pork and livers to the pan and stir to combine with the vegetables.
  7. Pour in the chicken broth and add the rice, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  8. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer undisturbed until the rice is tender and the liquid is fully absorbed, 18-20 minutes.
  9. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes; discard the bay leaves and fluff the rice with a fork.
  10. Stir in half the sliced scallions, taste and adjust salt, and scatter the rest over the top before serving.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.