Dirty Rice with Spiced Chicken

After googling so many dirty rice recipes, I got fed up and decided to just go forth and dirty my rice in my own way, based on some of the recipes I have seen.

The first dirty rice I cooked was not so successful in terms of taste. Besides, it didn't even look dirty, not that it really mattered. I'm all about the flavors. It's good if I want to have second helpings hee..hee... 

In the first attempt, I followed a recipe that used onions, salt, pepper and canned tomatoes (I used fresh). This time, I used carrots, celery and onions as the aromatics and spiced it up with Cajun seasoning. 

For the chicken, I used two chicken legs. Once the chicken was done roasting, I prepared the rice.

I also added the drippings from the roasted chicken into the rice because that's where all the amazing flavors are.

Then simply cook in the rice cooker like normal.

After all these years, I admit that I still don't know how to cook rice on the stove top. Sure, I've seen how it is done on TV but I dare not try because I am afraid I will burn the rice.

When the rice was done, the chicken did not look as beautiful. Maybe a better way for nicer presentation is to add the chicken midway through cooking when the water in the rice cooker has been significantly reduced. 

This second attempt is much better. The rice got its flavors from the celery, carrots and onions, Cajun seasoning, chicken drippings and the chicken itself. 

Cooking a dish like this is very practical because I can use it for my meal prep over the next four days (there was also enough for dinner the day I cooked). All I need to do is add some veggies like cucumbers and tomatoes. 

Here's to more one rice pot meals!

Dirty Rice with Spiced Roasted Chicken

Recipe source : Adapted from many recipes

For the chicken :

- Two whole chicken legs

Marinade for chicken, mix together :

- 1 tsp sea salt

- 1 tbsp smoked paprika

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

- 1 tsp dried oregano

- 2 tbsp olive oil

For the rice :

- 2 cups brown rice (or Basmati rice), soaked for 20 minutes, washed and drained

- 1 rib celery, diced

- 1 small carrot, diced

- 1 red medium onions, diced

- 1 tomato, diced

- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

- 4 cups water (better still, use chicken stock)

- olive oil

Method :

1. Rub marinade all over the chicken legs and marinate overnight or for a few hours.

2. Roast chicken legs at 180C for about 35 minutes. It need not be cooked through since we are going to cook it with the rice.

3. After the chicken is roasted, prepare the rice.

4. Heat oil in pan and saute the celery, carrots and onions until aromatic.

5. Add Cajun seasoning and and diced tomato. Stir to mix.

6. Add drippings from the roasted chicken (optional) and rice. Stir to mix the rice with all ingredients and transfer to rice cooker.

7. Add water and place chicken on top of rice. Cook the rice as you would normally do.