If you’re wondering what to serve with your dirty rice, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I list 39 of the most popular side dishes for dirty rice.
In a rush? Here’s the short answer.
The best side dishes to serve with dirty rice are grilled pork chops, cajun shrimp, and roasted vegetables. You can also serve a side of baked beans, Greek yogurt coleslaw, or lemony green beans. For more Southern sides, there’s fried green tomatoes, hush puppies, or blackened salmon.
Ready? Let’s jump right in.
Hush puppies
From one Southern classic to another.
These crispy hush puppies have a mildly sweet flavor that works wonderfully with all the savory flavors in dirty rice.
Psst… the hush puppies are even better when you dip them in some spicy mayo.
Why we love this recipe: they’re perfect for a side or a bite-sized appetizer.
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Hush puppies
Change the flavor
Crab hush puppies
Make it different
Zucchini tater tots
Greek yogurt coleslaw
Mayo-based coleslaws can get pretty heavy.
If you’re looking for something lighter, this Greek yogurt coleslaw has got you covered.
You have the same crunchy blend of veggies, with a dressing made from Greek yogurt, dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar.
Creamy, tangy, and light.
Why we love this recipe: it’s a great make-ahead side.
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Greek yogurt coleslaw
Make it a classic
Creamy coleslaw
Make it tangy
Vinegar coleslaw
Cajun chicken breasts
If you’re looking for some meat to add to your dirty rice, what about these cajun chicken breasts?
The chicken is tossed in a simple cajun seasoning and then oven-baked to golden brown perfection.
And you don’t have to stop there. Make this dish even more mouthwatering by drizzling it with garlic butter before serving.
Why we love this recipe: you only need 5 minutes to prep the chicken.
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Cajun chicken breasts
Make it simple
Southern fried chicken
Make it spicy
Buffalo chicken wings
Grilled pork chop
Another protein that would mesh well with dirty rice is a grilled pork chop.
These perfectly charred pork chops look as good as they taste (which is UH-mazing.)
The big secret behind it is a simple brown sugar rub. It adds a touch of sweetness to the otherwise smoky flavor notes.
Why we love this recipe: they’re great for a summer cookout.
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Grilled pork chop
Skip the grill
15-minute honey garlic pork chops
Make it crunchy
Salt and pepper ribs
Poached eggs
If you have some leftover dirty rice from the night before, why not have it for breakfast?
Crack a perfectly cooked poached egg over the top and let the liquid gold run into your rice.
YUM!
This recipe has loads of tips so you can get the perfect poached egg.
Why we love this recipe: it’s simple but delicious.
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Poached eggs
Add some flavor
Pesto eggs
Make it unique
Loaded cloud eggs
Cajun shrimp
Is chicken a bit boring for you? How about cajun shrimp?
You’ll only need 4 ingredients (unless you want to make your own cajun seasoning), and 10 minutes to throw this side together.
But it will taste like you’ve been slaving away for hours.
Pro-tip: use good quality shrimp for the best results.
Why we love this recipe: it will instantly elevate your dirty rice.
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Cajun shrimp
Make it for a crowd
Cajun seafood boil
Change the flavor
Garlic butter shrimp
Roasted veggies
Roasted vegetables are a great versatile side dish choice.
You can use any vegetables you have to hand, and you can mix and match the seasoning too.
This recipe uses a medley of potatoes, carrots, and green beans tossed in garlic and fresh herbs like rosemary.
Why we love this recipe: it can help you clean out old vegetables from your fridge.
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Roasted veggies
Swap the veggies
Mediterranian roast veg
Make it a salad
Grilled vegetable salad
Baked beans
Make the ultimate comfort meal and pair your dirty rice with saucy baked beans.
These slow cooker baked beans use three types of canned beans – pinto, kidney, and northern white.
Plus bacon, spicy BBQ sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and molasses.
Why we love this recipe: they’re easily modified if you want a vegetarian version.
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Slow cooker baked beans
Make it different
Red beans and rice
Make it quick
Quick baked beans
Lemon green beans
Keep things quick and easy with these lemony green beans.
They’re low-effort, healthy, and refreshing.
The acidity in the lemon dressing will cut right through the rich meat in your dirty rice and keep the whole meal from getting too heavy.
Psst… this recipe also works great with broccoli.
Why we love this recipe: you can get it on the table in less than ten minutes.
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Lemon green beans
Make it simple
Fried okra
Make a salad
Balsamic green bean salad
Spicy okra salad
Explore culinary fusion with this Asian-inspired okra salad.
The okra is served drenched in a spicy Sichuan, sesame, and soy sauce dressing then served cold.
It will wake up your tastebuds and provide a cooling contrast to the hot dirty rice.
Why we love this recipe: it’s a unique way to prepare your okra.
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Spicy okra salad
Go Mexican
Mexican style okra
Go simple
Arugula salad
Beef brisket
Melt-in-your-mouth beef brisket has got to be one of my favorite things to pair with dirty rice.
The rice will absorb all the beautiful BBQ sauce from the beef meaning every bite is finger-lickingly good.
Add a spoonful of BBQ baked beans to the mix and you have a hearty cookout dinner.
Why we love this recipe: it’s a show-stopping dish.
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Slow cooker beef brisket
Make it easy
3-ingredient beef brisket
Go vegan
Vegan BBQ brisket
Fried green tomatoes
Another Southern treat are these fried tomatoes.
These green goodies are coated with thick panko breadcrumbs and bring a tangy freshness with every bite.
Best served with a big helping of dirty rice and a classic ranch dressing
Why we love this recipe: you can easily make it gluten-free.
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Fried green tomato
Make it fresh
Fresh tomato salad
Swap the veggie
Onion rings
Blackened salmon
Blackened salmon is another impressive protein that you can place on a bed of dirty rice.
The blackened name comes from the seasoning mix that coats the salmon and turns black in the pan.
Psst… don’t forget the slice of lime!
Why we love this recipe: it’s fancy enough for a party and easy enough for a weeknight dinner.
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Blackened salmon
Make it different
Balsamic glazed chicken
Make it simple
Pan seared lemon salmon
What meat to put in dirty rice?
The standard meat to put in dirty rice is lean ground beef and smokey pork sausages, but chicken livers, chopped steak, or chicken pieces work a treat too. For a seafood twist you can never go wrong with shrimp.
The best meat to put in dirty rice:
- Lean ground beef
- Chicken liver/gizzards
- Andouille sausage
- Steak bites
- Cajun chicken
- Cajun shrimp
What To Serve With Dirty Rice
Ingredients
- 1 portion dirty rice
Instructions
- Prepare your dirty rice according to your favorite recipe.
- In the meantime, choose one of the following sides to serve alongside it.
- Side dishes include: hush puppies, greek yogurt coleslaw, cajun chicken breasts, grilled pork chop, poached eggs, cajun shrimp, roasted veggies, baked beans, lemon green beans, spicy okra salad, beef brisket, fried green tomatoes, and blackened salmon.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
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