Chicken and Bacon Dirty Rice Recipe

If you want a chicken and rice dinner with plenty of flavour, this chicken and bacon dirty rice is really easy to make and doesn’t need a huge list of unusual ingredients. The combination of smoky bacon, chicken, Cajun seasoning and paprika gives the rice loads of flavour, while the peppers, sweetcorn and spring onions add some colour and texture.

It’s also a handy meal for those evenings when you want something filling but don’t particularly fancy spending ages in the kitchen. Most of the cooking happens in one large frying pan or wok, and once everything is mixed together you’ve got chicken, bacon, rice and vegetables all in the same bowl.

Stuart and Ben are the meat eaters in our house, and meals like this are exactly the sort of thing I can make for them without needing anything complicated. If you’re looking for more meals using chicken, have a look through my healthy chicken recipes too, where you’ll find everything from curries and pasta dishes to air fryer and slow cooker recipes.

What is dirty rice?

Dirty rice comes from Louisiana in the United States, where it’s associated particularly with Cajun and Creole cooking. The name might not sound especially appetising if you’ve never come across it before, but it simply refers to the appearance of the rice once it’s mixed with meat, vegetables and seasoning.

Traditional versions can include ingredients such as chicken liver and other meats. This chicken and bacon dirty rice is Cajun-inspired rather than an attempt at an authentic Louisiana dirty rice, using diced chicken breast and bacon medallions alongside peppers, onion, sweetcorn and plenty of seasoning.

If you like the idea but would rather use mince, my dirty rice with beef mince is another option and uses lean beef mince, celery, peppers, Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning.

Why chicken and bacon work so well with dirty rice

Chicken breast is quite mild on its own, which means it takes on the Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic and Worcestershire sauce really well. The bacon adds another layer of savoury, smoky flavour, so you don’t need to add lots of different sauces to make the finished dish interesting.

I use bacon medallions because they’re easy to chop into strips and mix through the rice, but if you use a different bacon you’ll need to allow for the difference in fat and how it cooks.

The vegetables are quite simple too. Red pepper, red onion, spring onions and sweetcorn all work nicely with the smoky flavours without overpowering everything else. If you end up making this regularly, it’s also an easy recipe to adapt according to the vegetables you’ve got that need using.

Ingredients for chicken and bacon dirty rice

You don’t need anything particularly difficult to find for this recipe, and you probably have several of the seasonings in the cupboard already.

You’ll need cooked rice, diced chicken breast and bacon medallions for the main part of the dish, along with red pepper, red onion, spring onions and sweetcorn.

The flavour comes from Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and a little balsamic vinegar, with chicken stock helping everything come together before the cooked rice is added.

If your spice cupboard has reached the point where you’ve got lots of jars but can’t remember what half of them are for, my guide to dried herbs and spices might give you a few ideas for using them!

The full quantities are in the recipe card below.

How to make chicken and bacon dirty rice

Start by cutting the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces and slicing the bacon medallions into strips. Slice the red onion and prepare the vegetables before you start cooking, as everything comes together fairly quickly once the pan is hot.

Spray a large frying pan or wok with cooking spray, then add the chicken, bacon and red onion. Cook them together until the chicken is cooked through and the onion has softened.

Add the smoked paprika, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning and balsamic vinegar and stir everything together so the chicken and bacon are coated with the seasoning. Give the spices another couple of minutes in the pan before adding the vegetables.

Add the red pepper, drained sweetcorn and spring onions, followed by the chicken stock. Let everything bubble together for around four minutes so that the stock reduces before adding the cooked rice.

Stir the rice through gently until it’s thoroughly heated and coated in the spices and juices from the pan, then serve straight away with a little extra spring onion scattered over the top if you fancy it.

If rice is something you never seem to get quite right, my guide to cooking rice perfectly should help with the rice itself before you start this recipe.

What rice should I use for dirty rice?

Long-grain or basmati rice both work well here. The recipe uses 200g of cooked rice rather than giving you a dry weight, so you can use rice you’ve cooked yourself or suitable ready-cooked rice.

If you’re using previously cooked rice, the important thing isn’t whether it’s a day old or freshly cooked, but that it has been cooled and stored safely. Rice needs a little more care than people sometimes realise, so don’t leave cooked rice sitting around on the kitchen worktop for hours with the intention of using it later.

Packet rice can also be useful when you’re short of time. Check the instructions for the particular packet you’re using and remember that flavoured varieties may change both the taste and nutritional information for the finished meal.

If you’d like to know more about the different options, my white rice vs brown rice guide looks at the differences between the two.

Can I use leftover rice?

You can use leftover cooked rice, provided it has been cooled and stored correctly.

Rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, which can survive cooking, so the way cooked rice is handled afterwards matters. If you’re planning to save cooked rice for another meal, cool it promptly, refrigerate it and follow current Food Standards Agency guidance on storage and reheating.

I wouldn’t cook rice a day in advance purely because you think dirty rice requires old rice. It doesn’t. If you happen to have safely stored cooked rice that needs using, however, this is a very handy way to use it.

Can I make this with brown rice?

Brown rice is another option if that’s what you prefer. It has a nuttier flavour and slightly chewier texture than white rice, so the finished dish won’t be exactly the same, but there’s no reason you can’t use it.

Cook the brown rice properly first and then use the required amount of cooked rice in the recipe.

There’s no need to choose brown rice because you think white rice is somehow a bad choice, either. Use whichever you and your family enjoy and which works best for the meal you’re making.

How spicy is chicken and bacon dirty rice?

Cajun seasoning gives this dirty rice some warmth, but exactly how spicy it tastes will depend partly on the blend you buy. Different Cajun seasoning mixes aren’t identical, so if you’re cooking for someone who isn’t keen on spicy food, it’s worth knowing how hot your particular one is before adding it.

If everyone loves spicy food, you could add some chopped fresh chilli or chilli flakes. I’d add a little and taste rather than going overboard immediately, especially if you’re not familiar with the Cajun seasoning you’re using.

What can I use instead of Cajun seasoning?

The easiest option is another Cajun seasoning blend. There can be quite a bit of variation between brands, but it will keep the flavour much closer to the recipe than replacing it with a completely different combination of spices.

If you’re making your own Cajun seasoning, use a blend you’ve already tried and enjoy rather than guessing quantities when dinner is already in the pan.

Smoked paprika is used separately in this recipe, so remember to take that into account if your homemade seasoning already contains quite a lot of it.

Vegetables you can add to dirty rice

Red pepper, red onion, spring onions and sweetcorn are the vegetables I use in this version, but it’s an easy meal to vary.

Mushrooms, courgette and peas could all work if you’ve got some that need using. I’d just think about how quickly the vegetable cooks and when it needs adding rather than tipping everything into the pan at the same time.

This isn’t a meal where you need to cram in as many vegetables as humanly possible for it to count as healthy. Add more if you fancy them, leave the recipe as it is if you don’t, or serve some extra vegetables alongside it.

Can I use a different meat?

If you don’t have chicken breast, changing the meat changes the cooking time and potentially the flavour, so don’t assume everything can simply be swapped gram for gram.

If what you really want is dirty rice made with mince, I’d use my beef dirty rice recipe instead because that version has been written specifically for mince.

For leftover cooked chicken, have a browse through my leftover chicken recipe ideas rather than trying to shoehorn it into every recipe that happens to contain chicken.

Can I make vegetarian dirty rice?

For a vegetarian version, you could experiment with vegetarian chicken-style pieces or another meat alternative you already enjoy, although cooking instructions vary between products.

You’ll also need to swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock and check the Worcestershire sauce you’re using because traditional Worcestershire sauce usually contains anchovies. My guide to Worcestershire sauce alternatives explains some of the options, including Henderson’s Relish.

As I’m vegetarian myself, I would always rather use an alternative that actually works with the flavours of the meal than remove the meat and leave a recipe feeling as though something is missing.

Is chicken and bacon dirty rice suitable for Slimming World?

Chicken and bacon dirty rice can be made using ingredients that many people choose when following Slimming World, including skinless chicken breast, bacon medallions with visible fat removed, vegetables and cooking spray.

If you’re currently following Slimming World, check the ingredients and quantities against the current information in your app rather than relying on older Syn, Free Food or Swip information online. Plans and product information can change, and things such as stock, seasoning mixes and ready-cooked rice can vary between brands.

My Slimming World friendly rice dishes have more rice-based meal ideas if you’re looking for inspiration.

Storing leftover chicken and bacon dirty rice safely

Rice needs to be handled carefully once it’s cooked because Bacillus cereus spores can survive the cooking process. If cooked rice is left at room temperature for too long, bacteria can multiply and toxins can be produced.

If you’re not eating leftovers straight away, cool them promptly and get them into the fridge rather than leaving the pan sitting out. Follow the current Food Standards Agency advice for how long cooked rice can be refrigerated and how it should be reheated.

When reheating rice, make sure it’s steaming hot throughout and don’t repeatedly cool and reheat the same portion.

This matters particularly with a dish like this because you’ve also got cooked chicken and bacon in there. If you’re not sure how long leftovers have been sitting around or whether they’ve been stored properly, I wouldn’t risk eating them just to avoid throwing away one portion of rice.

Can I freeze chicken and bacon dirty rice?

Chicken and bacon dirty rice can be frozen, but again you need to be careful about how you handle the cooked rice.

Cool the portion you’re freezing promptly, package it appropriately and freeze it rather than leaving it sitting around first. Defrost it safely before reheating and make sure it’s thoroughly hot throughout before eating.

Freezing individual portions can be useful if you know you’re unlikely to eat all the leftovers at once. It also saves having to defrost a huge container when you only need lunch for one person.

What to serve with chicken and bacon dirty rice

This is quite a complete meal by itself, with chicken, bacon, rice and vegetables all mixed together, so you don’t necessarily need to serve anything else with it.

If you want something alongside, I’d keep it simple. Extra vegetables, salad or corn on the cob would all work without competing with the Cajun flavours in the rice.

For more meals using rice, have a look through my easy rice recipes, where you’ll find curries, rice bowls, biryani and plenty of other family dinner ideas.

More chicken recipes to try

If you’ve got chicken to use but dirty rice isn’t quite what you fancy, there are plenty of other options.

My healthy chicken recipes include pasta dishes, curries, salads, traybakes, slow cooker meals and air fryer recipes, so you don’t have to fall back on plain chicken and vegetables just because you’re trying to eat a little better.

You might also like my chicken pasta recipes if you’re after another easy family dinner, or my chicken curry recipes when you fancy something with a bit more spice.

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