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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
This was absolutely delicious! I had to make some adjustments though since I was missing since of the ingredients. I used a variety of dried mushrooms that I soaked for about an hour, added a red bell pepper, I didn’t have fresh apples or apple cider so I used 1 cup homemade unsweetened applesauce (same amount of broth and water though), a yellow onion for shallots, and chicken drumsticks. I know I made a lot of adjustments, but the method and warm fall ingredients were wonderful. Thank you, HBH!
Thank you Stefanie! I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
When do you add the Granny Smith apple and lemon juice??
Hey Iris,
Sorry for the confusion! You can add the lemon juice with the cider and the apples with the orzo. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
We’re we supposed to use the juice of the lemon at some point? Also, is it 30-40 covered plus 10-15 uncovered or 10-15 of the 30-40 uncovered? Thanks!
Hey Cara,
The lemon can be added with the cider. Bake 30-40 minutes covered and then uncovered for 10-15. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Delicious and so simple! Great weeknight meal.
Thank you Lauren! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
I ended up loving the flavor of this dish but it took me an extra 30 minutes to cook the rice! I had to keep adding water to finish cooking it in the oven. Followed all instructions in recipe. Not sure what happened!
Hey Lizzie,
Thanks for trying the recipe! I am so sorry you had issues cooking the rice, what kind of rice did you use? Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Hi there this looks delicious I can’t wait to try it I was just wondering if you had ever tried it using maybe Farro instead of the wild rice I was thinking of trying it with that and maybe tossing some toasted almonds any thoughts?
Hi Sheryl,
I have not tested this with farro, but you could certainly give it a try. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Ive been trying to add tomatoes to every dish I make due to crazy supply. Do you think adding some cherry tomatoes would be good? If so when would you add them?
Hey Emily,
Sure you could add tomatoes in step 3. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe is delicious!! Made it for my family last night and they loved it. Perfect fall meal, thanks to the perfect blend of flavors! I didn’t have a skillet that could go in the oven so I ended up browning the chicken in one skillet and putting the other ingredients in a pot, then combined all ingredients into a baking dish. But it was worth it! I will definitely be making this again! Thank you for creating the most delicious meals!!
Thank you so much Anna!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
hi! what type of cookware did you use in the photo? it looks like a le creuset braiser? if so, what size is it? I’m looking at braisers online and i can’t decide which one to get. I want one to make exactly this type of recipe. Thanks!
Hey Leslie,
This is a vintage pot that my dad found for me. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
A little time consuming but delicious! Realized my lodge 10″ skillet wasn’t big enough for this recipe so I had to adjust on the fly. Used half cup less of wild rice and half cup less of apple cider. It was a little sweet for my taste so next time I’d probably use less apple cider and more chicken broth (I don’t ever have white wine on hand for cooking). Bought an apple for this but forgot to add it in, probably for the best since it was a little sweet for me anyway.
Tieghan, it may be helpful in the future to include the exact size cooking vessel you use as I had to adjust on the fly whereas if I had known your skillet was larger, would’ve adjusted quantity prior to.
Thank you so much Connie! That is a great idea to include that! I am really glad this turned out well! xTieghan
For any British people here. Apple Cider == pressed apple juice
Thank you Scott! xTieghan
We’re making this tonight and so excited! I don’t see in the printable version where/when to add the lemon juice and apples (the apples are mentioned in the post above but not the printable).
Thank you for letting me know! I hope you loved this recipe Brittany! xTieghan
This was delicious and cozy! As others have said, my wild rice took over an hour to cook, so by the time it was done, the chicken was a little dry. I also forgot to add the lemon juice since I didn’t see it in the instructions. Next time I’ll use the lemon and add the chicken after about 30 minutes of cooking the rice in the oven.
Thank you so much Sarah! xTieghan
This recipe was delicious and so easy to make. It was certainly a crowd pleaser, even for my son! Definitely adding it to my repertoire. Thank you Tieghan!
Thank you Amanda! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Hello, where do we use the lemon juice? Zest is clear, not sure about the juice?
Hey Suruce,
Sorry for the confusion, you can add the lemon with the cider! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan