On our YouTube channel, Chef Jean-Paul walks us through his deeply flavorful Dirty Rice, built from the ground up with a rich base of browned meats, sautéed vegetables, and a stock reduction.
He shows how to properly “clean” chicken gizzards by removing the tough silver skin membrane—and explains why these firm, resilient organs need time to break down. You’ll also learn how to sear tender chicken livers for added richness and get the ideal texture for serving on its own or stuffing into peppers, pork chops, or chicken.
Dirty Rice
Author: Chef Jean-Paul Bourgeois
Makes 8 to 10 Servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup bacon drippings
- 1 pound chicken liver, patted dry
- ½ pound cleaned gizzards, loose skin cut off and trimmed, patted dry, and roughly chopped
- Slap Ya Mama White Pepper Blend Seasoning
- 1 pound ground chuck (80/20)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
- 2 cups small-dice yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup small-dice celery
- 1 cup small-dice green bell pepper
- 1 minced jalapeño
- 2 dried bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 4 cups chicken stock
- Bundle of fresh thyme tied in butcher twine
- 2 cups cooked long-grain white rice
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- Hot sauce, to taste
Instructions
- In a large cast-iron Dutch oven, add bacon drippings, and heat over high heat.
- Season liver and gizzards on one side with white pepper blend. When bacon grease is smoking, add livers, seasoned side down, in one layer. (Be careful when adding liver and gizzards, as the grease will splatter.) Cook, without stirring, until seared. Scoop out livers with a wooden spoon, and set aside. Add gizzards, stirring and scraping any fond to break up and distribute gizzards; cook without stirring until well browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add beef and oil, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any clumps while scraping the bottom. Cook without stirring until beef is well browned. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, stirring. Add yellow onion and garlic, stirring to combine. Add more oil if the pan looks dry. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to turn golden around the edges, about 10 minutes.
- Add celery, bell pepper, jalapeño, and bay leaves, and stir to combine. Add salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes. Add chicken stock and thyme, and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half.
- Roughly chop chicken livers.
- Add rice to pot, and stir to combine. Add chicken livers and any accumulated juices to pot, and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust with white pepper seasoning and salt, if needed. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Mixture should still look wet. Turn off heat, and add parsley and green onion, stirring to combine. Discard thyme and bay leaves. Taste for seasoning, adding hot sauce and white pepper seasoning if needed.
Watch how to make this staple here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjonZhy6KZQ
