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Keeping things simple, but delicious with this One Pot Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken and Butter Toasted Rice Pilaf. It’s everyone’s favorite dinner made easy and delicious in one pot. Pan-seared chicken roasted up alongside nutty wild rice, warming rosemary, and autumn vegetables. Dijon and lemon keep this dish light, but or so flavorful. This roasted chicken and rice dinner is a hearty but healthy meal to cook any night of the week, especially as the weather begins to cool. And the best part? It’s the easiest dinner to prepare and one the whole family will love.
As I sit here typing away, it’s blowing snow outside my window, my heater is on, my candles are lit, and it’s the coziest winter night…
Only, it’s September…and it’s not even fall yet. And we actually have two full weeks until fall officially arrives (let alone winter!). I know the above sounds like a nice wintery scene, but guys, I’m going to be honest, I’m not ready for this kind of weather. Not even close.
And I’m not talking a light flurry, I’m talking full-on snowstorm! This amount of snow on September 8th? Yeah, that’s just not something I can embrace.
On the bright side, all this snow is giving me the perfect excuse to cook up all the cozy fall dinners on the earlier side. I know you guys are still enjoying warm summer days, but we can all enjoy a good cozy dinner regardless of the weather, right?
I think we can! And while today’s recipe is cozy and hearty, it’s also healthy, colorful, and beyond delicious. Full-on comfort food, but not the heavy kind. This is the perfect transition recipe to slowly welcome the fall days ahead.
THIS, I can be excited about.
The story.
Once September hits, I quickly transition into creating more one pot dinners, easy family meals, and recipes that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family.
You all know the story, but growing up my dad would serve up chicken recipes at least a couple times a week. It was his staple dinner. However, on cold Sunday nights throughout the fall and winter, my mom would often roast a whole chicken, alongside carrots, with a simple rice pilaf style side dish and bread (mom likes her bread with every meal).
This dish is kind of a combination of both of their dinners, and it’s made easy in one pot. It’s got the ease of dad’s chicken and rice, but all the hearty flavors of mom whole roasted chicken.
So it’s a nice balance and truly such a wonderfully comforting meal…and yes, it smells incredible as it roasts away in the oven.
The details on this one pot lemon rosemary dijon chicken.
Like all my one pot recipes, this one is pretty straight forward, though it does have a few ingredients. Please don’t let that scare you away, I promise this is going to be easy…
I like to season my chicken with a sprinkling of paprika, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. I prefer to use mostly chicken breasts since they’re what my family prefers. But I also always love including a couple chicken thighs for added flavor. You can use either or both, just use what you and your family love most.
Now, sear the chicken to get it golden and crisp. After you sear the chicken, remove it from the pan and add in all the flavor. Meaning the shallots, vegetables, butter, wild rice, and lots of fresh garlic, rosemary, and thyme. I like to cook the rice in butter to get it nice and toasty before adding in the liquid. This is such a simple step, but it adds so much flavor.
Moving along…
After you toast the rice, toss in an apple and pour in the apple cider and white wine.
The apple and apple cider add a sweet autumn flavor that’s unexpected, but delicious. I absolutely love the pairing of wild rice, apples, and cider. I also like to use a little dijon mustard, it ties everything together in a beautiful savory way.
If the apple sounds too odd, you don’t have to use it, but I do find it to be especially delicious.
At this point, you’ll want to transfer the pan to the oven to finish cooking. As the chicken roasts, the rice soaks up all the flavors from the cider and wine. It then becomes infused with rosemary.
By the end of cooking, the kitchen should be smelling like Thanksgiving. It’s an unexpected but welcomed scent that will only get you that much more excited for dinner. Nothing beats this cozy scent, it’s beyond good.
Once you pull the pan out, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve everything together.
Simple, easy, healthy, and so delicious. This is a complete all-in-one dinner. Of course, you could also add a side of bread or a big salad, that would be delicious too.
This is one of those recipes that I’ll be coming back to time and time again. I love the idea of a Sunday night roasted chicken dinner. But honestly, it’s easy enough for any night of the week.
Looking for other cozy family dinners? Here are a few ideas:
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Prosciutto Apple and Sage Butter Chicken with Cider Pan Sauce
Lastly, if you make this one pot lemon rosemary dijon chicken and butter toasted rice pilaf be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken and Butter Toasted Rice Pilaf
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 572 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups mushrooms, chopped
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups wild rice blend (mix wild and brown rice)
- 1/2 cup dry orzo pasta
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 whole sprig + 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for serving
- 1 small honeycrisp apple, chopped (optional)
- 2 cups apple cider (not vinegar)
- 1 cup dry white wine such, as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Season the chicken with paprika, lemon zest, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet/braiser set over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and cook on both sides until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan. 3. To the skillet, add the shallots, carrots, and mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes, until just caramelized. Add the butter, wild rice, orzo, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and apple, if using. Cook 5 minutes, until lightly toasted and golden. Add the apple cider, wine, dijon, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. 4. Slide the chicken back into the pan. Add the rosemary sprig. Bake, covered, for 30-40 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. During the last 10-15 minutes of cooking remove the lid and allow the chicken to crisp, if needed, add in 1/4 cup additional water or chicken broth to keep the rice from getting dry.5. To serve, fluff the rice with a fork and serve the chicken, rice, and veggies together. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on September 10, 2020
Where am I supposed to add the lemon juice? Did I miss something?
Hey Molly,
So sorry you can add the lemon juice with the cider. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the recipe. Thank you! xTieghan
It is a great recipe!! For our next thanksgiving
Love that! Thank you Gabby! xTieghan
I just made this dish yesterday. The flavors turned out wonderfully, but the wild rice & brown rice were not at all finished cooking after 40 minutes. The rice was so crunchy as to be almost inedible. I followed the receipe exactly except I used apple juice instead of apple cider. I also used a about 1/8 cup extra wild rice. Any ideas what went wrong?
Hey David,
So sorry you had issues with the recipe. Unfortunately the cook time and liquid measurements are based on the rice measurements, so by adding more rice you off set those measurements, which is why the rice did not fully cook. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
This was awesome! I love your recipes because you combine interesting and delicious flavors and textures. The only thing I did wrong was underestimate the size of the pot so I put everything into my 9×13 lasagna dish to bake in the oven. This recipe is a keeper!
Love to hear that! Thank you for trying this recipe, Karen! xTieghan
I made this last night and thought it was really good. I didn’t have cider so used apple juice and it worked out fine. However, it took way longer to cook than what the recipe said – more like an hour and 15 minutes, and I had to add significantly more water to get the rice to cook. This made me think I should’ve let it simmer on the stove for awhile before putting it in the oven right after it boils as it says in the directions. I recommend doing this (covered) for a little while to speed up the rice cooking. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you so much Lisa! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Good flavors, the rice did not get fully cooked though, so I’d recommend more time for that!
Thank you Maren! xTieghan
Smells delicious, but I just realized that I don’t see when to add the lemon juice?
Hey,
You can add the lemon juice with the cider. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the recipe. Thank you! xTieghan
This is such a delicious and easy one-pan meal! Would be great for company since it would easily double or triple in a large enough pan. Great flavors make it seem super complex, but was so quick and easy! I added apples at end when I took off cover to brown chicken- kept them crisp but warmed them nicely. Great job with this one!
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Katie! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
When does the lemon juice go in? And when do you add the honeycrisp apple?
Hey Katie,
You can add the apples with the orzo and the lemon with the cider. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the recipe. Thank you! xTieghan
This sounds delightful! Could a cast iron be used since I don’t have another oven-safe skillet?
Hey Ashley,
Yes I always use cast iron skillets. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I am such a fan of HFH but this one was disappointing. I was skeptical from the start – wild rice usually has a cooking time of 45 minutes, I knew the chicken would be dried to pieces if I cooked it that long so I put the rice mixture in the oven for 15 minutes before adding the chicken. The rice ended up taking over 1 hour – I removed the chicken after 30 minutes and it was dry. The rice had so much flavor and I wanted to love it but the cooking times do not match up.
Hi there! I am so sorry you had some trouble with this one. I’m not sure why your rice is taking so much longer than mine, but I’d recommend adding the chicken 20-25 minutes before you feel like your rice is ready. This should ensure the chicken isn’t dry. I don’t have issues with the chicken, but really hoping that will help you. And again, so sorry you had trouble!
Please let me know if you have any other questions. hope that helps! Thank you!! xTieghan
Great easy midweek dinner. I missed the cider bit added extra wine. I think the cider is needed for sweetness in contrasting the lemon and wine. Loved it will make again.
I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Darren! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This looks delicious and I’m planning on making this week. Can I use skinless, boneless chicken breasts and would you make any adjustments?
Hey Cara,
Totally fine to do and follow the recipe as is:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this for my husband and myself for dinner.. wow, incredible. I love that this has all the things that my husband and I love but have never combined in this way. This will be apart of our bi-weekly dinner routines. I look forward to your recipes so much! It has been such a joy trying so many during COVID that I will continue to make after this is all over.
Aw that is so sweet to hear! I am really glad you have been loving my recipes, Mackenzie! I hope you continue to! xTieghan
It was very good, easy to prepare. Although I didn’t know where to add the apple until after I cooked the recipe and read above the recipe and saw where to add it, it also does not say where to add the juice of the lemon although I didn’t think it really needed it. I may reduce the apple cider a bit if I did add the apple as I found it a bit too sweet. I would also let it boil a little longer before adding in the chicken and putting it in the oven rice was a little under done. Over all a GREAT meal, family loved it, easy to prepare on a week night and very filling.
Hi Sherry! I am glad this turned out well for you! If there is anything I can help with, please let me know! xTieghan