One-Pot Spicy Dirty Rice with Chicken and Sausage
This One-Pot Spicy Dirty Rice with Chicken and Sausage is filling, flavorful comfort food bliss – with a kick! My mom was over when I made this for my site and she said she’d be really happy if she was served this dish at a restaurant with a cold beer, so I think that’s a win! I love when recipes all come together in one pot, it’s so much easier and it saves on clean up. Plus, once you cook the sausage and chicken for this recipe, the bottom of your pot will be coated in tasty flavors you can scrape up into your veggies and rice that give them that “dirty” rice color and make your taste buds happy. This recipe is spicy, but you can adjust the heat by adding less or more cayenne and crushed red pepper if you wish. The amounts I have below are a bit less than the original recipe I adapted it from, but this will still have a kick! My lightened up version rings in at just 405 calories or 9 WW Points per serving! To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, click here!
Looking for more lightened up one-pot meals like this Spicy Dirty Rice with Chicken and Sausage? Check out my Chicken Pot Pasta, Spanish Chicken and Rice Skillet, Turkey Sloppy Joe Pasta, Beef Enchilada Pasta Skillet, White Chicken Chili, Mexican Chicken Cauliflower Rice Skillet, Thai Turkey with Carrot Noodles, Lemon Chicken Orzo with Tomatoes and Asparagus, Rustic Sausage and Potato Skillet, Beefy American Goulash, Beef Stroganoff, One Pot Cincinnati Chili Spaghetti Bake, Pumpkin Alfredo Tortellini Skillet, Cheesy Chicken Veggie Pasta Skillet, The Best Turkey Chili, Sausage Tortellini Skillet and more in the One-Pot Meal section of my recipe index!
Spicy Dirty Rice with Chicken and Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried minced onion
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 6 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 4 (6 oz) each boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (24 oz total)
- 1 (13 oz) link turkey smoked sausage, sliced (I used Hillshire Farm)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- A pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 cup dry long-grain white rice, use brown rice if following myWW Purple
- 2 ¼ cups reduced sodium fat free chicken broth
- Optional: parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a small dish, mix together the salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, minced onion, oregano, ¼ teaspoon of the cayenne, the crushed red pepper, the lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil to form a paste. Rub the paste over the surface of the chicken breasts on all sides. Set aside.
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a dutch oven, bring 1 ½ teaspoons of oil over med-high heat. Once hot, add the sliced sausage and cook, stirring/flipping occasionally, until browned (about 5 minutes). Remove the sausage to a side plate.
- Add another 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil to the pot and allow them to come to temperature (should happen quickly). Add the chicken breasts in a single layer and sear on one side for 2-3 minutes. Flip the breasts and sear on the other side for another 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot to the plate with the sausage.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pot and allow it to heat up. Add the onions, celery and jalapeno and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly to scrape up any brown bits of flavor stuck to the bottom of the pot and coat your veggies with flavor. Your veggies should start to look brown from mixing with the flavors on the bottom.
- Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper and rice and stir to combine. Add the broth and continue to “deglaze the pan” by scraping up any brown bits off the bottom. Increase the heat to medium and bring the contents to a simmer. Once simmering, add the sausage, chicken, and any juices on the plate back to the pot, placing the chicken in a single layer on top of the other ingredients. Return to a simmer and cover.
- Place the covered pot in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed into the rice. Slice the chicken before serving.
Notes
10 per (1 cup of sausage and rice mixture + 2.75 oz chicken) serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers brand PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition information below) Lightly adapted from The Chunky Chef
This looks soooo good! My husband and I used to make a similar, though much less healthy, dish, and I know he’d love this one! Especially with a nice cold beer! Thank you so much!
I hope you both love it!
Emily, this was outstanding! I have a Pinterest board for recipes we both REALLY love, so I don’t forget where I found them, and this one is going on it. I entered it in the WW recipe builder, so I could track it, and used Johnsonville chicken Andouille Sausage, and Basmati rice, and the recipe came out to 7 freestyle points. Thanks so much!
How many servings does this make
The serving information can be found directly under the recipe title in the recipe section of each post!
Would it be ok to use brown rice?
I just made this with brown rice, the only thing I would advise is you might need more cook time for the rice, mine was not quite soft at the end of the prescribed time 🙂
Can I make it not spicy by leaving out the cayenne, red pepper flakes and jalapeno? Or will that alter the taste too much?
My husband has Crohn’s and can’t have tomatoes (you’d be surprised how many recipes call for tomatoes of some kind). I’m always looking for friendly recipes for him. Thank you!!
This looks like a healthy version of one of my favorite dishes — jambalaya. I cannot wait to try it!
Sensational! My hubby and I both loved it!
Excited to try this!!! Perfect for a cold fall night!!
We just had this for dinner, it was fabulous. I had some creole seasoning so used that. Next time I will seal the. Dutch oven with foil as mine didn’t cook as quickly. Truly delish.
Made this tonight and my daughter said it’s the best meal I’ve ever made. Delicious!
That’s the best compliment, thank you!
This looks delicious!
Any idea what the point value may be without the chicken breast?
Thanks in advance!
Boneless skinless chicken breasts are 0 points on the current plan so the points would remain the same if you omit the chicken
I love it when I try a new recipe and it is “keeper.” My husband and I both loved it.
Made this last night and it was so good. The rice tastes like a spicy rice-a-roni.
Just curious, is there a specific reason that you don’t use any minced garlic when softening the vegis?
I made this for company the other night and it was amazing! I omitted the veggies due to the preferences of my guest and added a can of kidney beans just because. I will definitely be making this again!
I can’t wait to make this!! I think I will also add some 0 Point Shrimp to the mix. Thank you for this recipe and all the others you share with us. Please post some more “Baby Bites” pictures! <3
I dont have a dutch oven! Would I be able to do this in an instant pot?
I just made this in a cast iron skillet and used foil to cover it while it baked. Worked like a charm! This recipe is fantastic!
I made this last night and it was amazing! For us, it was a little too spicy….but I’m definitely making it again and will omit the jalapeno and cut down on the cayenne. But if you like spice, this is a winner! The sausage and chicken were so tender that they just fell apart. I don’t have a dutch oven, so I cooked this in my skillet and placed that in the oven with a cover – worked fine!
So excited to see this lightened up! I’ve made the original recipe many times as it’s a favorite! Been hoping to come acrossroos a healthier version. Can’t wait to try!
This was excellent.
I made this tonight. Compliments all around from my 12 year old and 17 year old daughters. Delicious! Bummed because I thought there would be more leftovers but they went back for seconds. It will be gone when my husband gets home! Thanks for a delicious recipe.
Question did you use instant rice or regular rice?
Just the regular rice listed in the ingredients!
What temperature should this be baked at? I can’t wait to try tonight!
350 degrees, it’s step 2! Enjoy 🙂
I made this tonight and we loved it!! My husband thoroughly enjoyed the dirty rice and had seconds. I’m on the freestyle plan and was satisfied by my serving of one cup dirty rice and one chicken breast (I also added a vegetable). Absolutely delicious!! Thank you for sharing such great and easy to follow recipes!!
Could cauliflower rice be used to cut points and carbs?
I used half of the rice and really didn’t measure the cauliflower since it doesn’t affect the FSP. I added some with the rice and some after cooking. I covered the dutch oven for a few minutes to let it soften. It was great!
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit in my four-adult household (three of whom aren’t on WW or dieting!). This is definitely going into my regular rotation, so easy and so good. 🙂
Can this be made in the Instant Pot? I just bought one and am looking for new WW friendly Instant Pot recipes.
Hi Shanna, I have never made this in an Instant Pot so I can’t provide instruction, I’m sorry!
So yummy!!! I just made this tonight. I am currently fighting back the urge to eat more… I already went back haha. I am a huge lover of spice so may kick it up a notch to keep us warm in the winter.
I made this tonight for my husband and me, and it was a hit! So flavorful and a nice hit of spice. Definitely going in the regular rotation! This is the first recipe of yours that I’ve tried, and I can’t wait to try more!
This was absolutely delicious and perfect for a winter evening!
First, and most importantly, Emily, this is delicious!!!
Second, when I put it in the recipe builder I CAN NOT get it down to 6 FSP. The only ingredients that add points are the oil, 8 for 6 tsp; the sausage,16 for 13 oz; the rice 19/20 for 1 cup and the broth 1 for 2.25 cups. What have I done wrong?
Thanks fort all the awesome ideas!
Okay, so I just went and checked the WW recipe builder and it looks like the listing I used for long grain white rice, dry (the only listing for dry long grain rice) is actually instant rice, which I didn’t notice. I feel so bad! I’m glad you brought this to my attention because you’re right, my points are wrong! I just updated the post to reflect the change. Thank you for commenting! I’m so sorry, this never happens!
Emily, I fixed this again today(Do you think I like the recipe?) and tried a couple of adjustments that brought the FSP down to 5 per serving. Decreased the sausage to 10 oz and only used 1/2 c rice and added cauliflower rice. Some of the cauliflower was cooked in the oven and some added after cooking and steamed in the dutch oven for a few minutes before eating. So good! I LOVE your website. you are awesome!
Made this for dinner last night and it was AMAZING. I could see myself making it for lunches for the week. Simple and so delicious. Boyfriend isn’t a fan of “spicy” so I omitted the cayenne pepper and it was perfect.
I’m so happy you loved it!
I made this tonight and it was yummy! My husband said it was the best food he had in a long time. Then he told me to save all of the leftovers for him. He usually hates leftovers! Thanks for a great recipe!
I’ve made this 3 times! This third time was the best because I got a new dutch oven that browns everything really well, but even with my old one, it’s delicious. I used smoked paprika and chipotle spices, which were awesome. Everyone loves — but sadly no leftovers for a family of 3.
Of course I eat more than 3 smart points worth but….
I made this earlier this week, such great flavors! I had chicken thighs rather than breasts, and brown rice rather than white, but it was still perfect, just needed a bit more cook time for the rice. Thanks for this recipe, it’s definitely staying in our rotation! I might try it in an instant pot and will definitely report back if I do
Just made this and it WAS amazing….none left! I didn’t think my family would eat it, was I surprised!! Will definitely make again
would basmati rice work for this recipe? looks delicious can’t wait to try it!
We made this for dinner tonight and it was phenomenal. Thanks for such a tasty and easy recipe! It was perfect for a snowy night
We loved it! I’m always looking for 1-pot meals. We left out the jalapeño pepper and it still had really good flavor.
In Step 1, your instructions say that we should mix 1/4 teaspoon of cayanne, and then all of the other seasonings. Then, in step 4, you say to add the rest of the cayanne, salt, and pepper, but there was never an instruction to split the salt and the pepper. Can you clarify how much salt is supposed to be used for the rub and how much is supposed to be used for the rice?
This was amazing! The whole family loved it!
I made this and it was delicious. I cut up the chicken though and left the Jalapeño out because I didn’t have any. Next time, I will layer it in a 9×13 pan and put in the oven. Thank you for the recipe!
We made this last night, and will be going into the rotation regularly. VERY easy and SO Good!
This was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ve made it twice now. Once with the sausage and chicken and the second with sausage and shrimp. Both delicious!
I’m so glad you love it, thanks for letting me know!
Seriously amazing! My husband and I devoured it! We made no changes…perfect as is! Thanks for the recipe!
I don’t have a Dutch oven. Can I make it in a pan and transfer to a casserole dish in the oven?
I was just about to enter this into the recipe builder to see how points would change for green plan and then noticed you already did the work for us–you are AMAZING!!
I made this last night. Followed the directions exactly. WOW! It was delicious! My chicken was a little dry, however. But tasted fabulous. I also probably didn’t need the extra 10-15 minutes uncovered. I think it was done after 30 minutes. Great recipe! Thanks Emily.
How would you cook this and instant pot? Thanks
I have never made this in an instant pot, sorry!
Go make this recipe NOW! The flavors are spot on. The chicken came out so juicy and was probably the most perfectly cooked chicken I’ve ever made. There wasn’t anything left after my family got ahold of it! It was so delicious, comforting and filling!
Made this tonight and it was delicious! My chicken was perfectly cooked and everything was very flavorful. Definitely will be a part of my meal rotation!
So glad to hear this was a hit, thank for letting me know!
My family has been making this for several years and all of us love it!! We do sometimes use chicken thighs but chicken breasts are def healthier. I don’t use the celery (personal preference) and add 2 1/2 cups broth because ours turned out a little dry. But, as written this is a 5!
Do you think it’s possible to cook the beginning on the stove but then transfer it to a throw away pan for the oven portion?
Yeah, I think that would probably work just fine!
I pinned this recipe a long time ago but never got around to trying it until now. Major regret that I waited because it is delicious! I love rice in any form and this was such a good combo with great flavor. Thanks Emily for yet another winner!
My husband and I love this recipe! I make this at least 2-3x a month. I really like the fact that you can adjust the spiciness easily as well by adjusting the cayenne and the jalapeño. This dish absolutely a winner.
I made this tonight and it is DELICIOUS! I threw some frozen shrimp in it and it was so good!! Will definitely be making again!
This was good, but saaaaaaalty. I’m not sure how, I didn’t even add any more salt in step 6. Other than that, I followed the measurements and instructions to a T. I’ll make this again, but use half the salt in the rub.