Bojangles’ restaurant markets its famous dirty rice as an authentic southern dish made with spicy sausage and a blend of seasonings. Dirty rice is often included as part of traditional Cajun cuisine, which is known for spicy foods and the liberal use of seasonings. Since the restaurant does not share its recipe, cooks have come up with a variety of recipes that include different combinations of meats and spices to achieve the flavor of the restaurant dish. The major difference is whether the recipe should include chicken livers. Most dirty rice recipes include the livers to achieve the authentically smoky dirty rice flavor.

Heat 2 tbsp. of canola oil, or your preferred oil, in a large sauté pan using a high heat setting. The oil should be hot, but not smoking, which should take a couple of minutes.

Add 1 lb. of sausage and 1 lb. of finely chopped chicken livers to the sauté pan and stir until the meat is browned and well-mixed. This should take three or four minutes.

Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste and add 1/2 tsp. of chili powder to spice up the dish. Allow the meat to sit for about two minutes without frequent stirring so it begins to stick a little and form a crust.

Pour about 1/4 cup of chicken broth into the meat mixture and cook it for 10 minutes or until it dries out and the meat begins to brown and stick again.

Add a finely chopped onion, two finely chopped celery stalks and other seasonings, such as 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 tbsp. of dried oregano, to the pan and stir well until everything is browned well. Remove the sauté pan from the heat and set it aside.

Follow the instructions on the rice bag to cook enough rice to yield about 3 cups of cooked rice. You could use white rice or brown rice.

Mix the rice, another 1 ¼ cups of chicken broth, chopped parsley and chopped scallions to taste into the meat. Combine the ingredients thoroughly.

Cook the mixture over low heat for five to 10 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the contents are heated through.