Wild Rice and Oyster "Dressing" is a spin-off of Louisiana's "Dirty Rice," but with a much milder flavor. This pairs beautifully with turkey, beef, chicken or pork anytime of the year and it's ready in less than 40-minutes from start to finish!
Interestingly, this Southern "dressing" isn't really a so-called "dressing" because it doesn't contain any bread or cornbread, like most Southern dressings do...so it's inherently gluten-free and a delicious side dish to turkey, beef, chicken or pork!
This recipe comes to me from my great-great Grandmother on my Grandad's Cajun side of the family. It was handed down to my grandmother, then my Mom, and now I continue to make this savory side dish every holiday!
You'll love this recipe!
- Savory and flavorful - not too strong on the oysters or chicken livers...just a mild flavor
- Quick and easy - use a few simple ingredients and this dish is ready in under 40-minutes from start to finish!
- Make ahead - you can make and bake it beforehand, or just prep everything in advance; when you're ready to serve it, just combine it all in a pan and bake it for 15-20 minutes!
If your family is like mine, they'll turn their noses up when they learn it has oysters and chicken livers in it...so just don't tell 'em (unless there's an allergy issue)--trust me...they'll love it!
Here's what you'll need:
Here's how to make it:
While the rice is cooking, boil the chicken livers in water with a little salt and pepper; this takes about 15-minutes.
Here's what it looks like before it's baked. At this point, lightly season with garlic powder and cayenne (optional.)
Make ahead:
If you want to make this ahead of time, assemble everything BUT the oysters and refrigerate. Add the oysters right before you bake it.
Why? If you put the oysters and juice in and then refrigerate it, it gets soggy and the oyster flavor is too strong...it intensifies...add 'em last!
Expert tips:
- This recipe yields a total of 8 cups. If you're serving this as a side with other items, allow ½ cup to ¾ cups per person. If this is your only side, allow 1 cup per person.
- If you're serving a big group, double the recipe
- Use fresh oysters in a plastic tub (these are usually in the seafood/meat market); check the date and get the freshest ones
- Don't announce what's in it to your guests...many of them will turn up their noses...just serve it and watch them devour it!
- Use a super sharp knife for dicing the chicken livers and oysters; you want tiny, tiny pieces of each-nobody wants to get a big bite of oyster or chicken liver...tiny tiny tiny pieces
- When you dice the chicken livers, if you come across a part that sinewy or won't slice easily, throw it away (give the remaining chicken livers to your dog as a special treat or fry 'em!)
- Reserve the oyster liquor (the juice that the oysters are in), as well as any juice from dicing the oysters
- I don't cover wild rice and oyster dressing with foil because I like a little crunch on top; if you prefer no crunch, put foil over the top
- Don't over bake it! Everything's basically already cooked, all we're doing is baking the oysters a little in the oven
Related recipes:
- Louisiana Seafood Gumbo
- New Orleans Cajun Chicken Gumbo
- Creole Shrimp Pasta
- Shrimp Etouffee
- Seafood Manicotti Alfredo
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and comment below! I love to hear from you! Thank you!
Wild Rice and Oyster Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 boxes wild rice with seasoning
- ¾ cup celery chopped
- ¾ cup onion chopped
- ½ cup chicken livers cooked, chopped very fine
- 8 ounces fresh oysters with liquor (juice), chopped very fine
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ¾ stick butter ½ stick for onions/celery; 2 tablespoons for rice
- ½ salt to taste
- cayenne pepper to taste, optional
- garlic powder to taste, optional
- green onions garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF
- Prepare two boxes of wild rice with seasonings in 4 cups of chicken broth and 2 tablespoons of butter; set aside
- Drain and rinse chicken livers; place in medium saucepan and cover with water; lightly season with salt and pepper; cook on medium heat till livers reach internal temperature of 165ºF
- In a medium saucepan, add ½ butter, chopped onions and celery; cook till tender
- Using a slotted spoon, remove oysters from container; chop finely; DO NOT THROW AWAY the oyster liquor (juice); put chopped oysters and their liquor aside½
- Remove half of the chicken livers from the saucepan and dice finely; set aside
- In a 9 x 13 baking dish, add cooked rice, sauteed onion and celery, chopped chicken livers, chopped oysters; combine well
- Drizzle remaining oyster liquor (juice) over rice mixture; combine well
- Bake uncovered at 325ºF for 15-20 minutes
- Garnish with green onions and serve
Notes
- This recipe yields 8 cups total; if you're serving this with other sides, allow about a half a cup (to three-fourths cup) per person
- When chopping the oysters a lot of juice will come out on the cutting board; add this juice to the rice, as well as the juice the oysters came in
- Chicken livers typically come in a one pound plastic container. You're only gonna use half of these, unless you double the recipe.
- Don't add salt until after you've added the oysters; their juice is already pretty salty
I'd love to hear from you!