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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.

overhead photo of One Pot Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken and Butter Toasted Rice Pilaf

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.

prep photo of rice in skillet toasting with butter

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.

prep photo of chicken and rice cooking in skillet

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.

overhead close up photo of One Pot Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken and Butter Toasted Rice Pilaf

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.

over head photo of One Pot Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken and Butter Toasted Rice Pilaf on dinner plate with fork

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.

side angled close up photo of One Pot Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken and Butter Toasted Rice Pilaf

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.

overhead close up photo of One Pot Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken and Butter Toasted Rice Pilaf

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

Author: Tieghan Gerard
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
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.

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Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

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!
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Comments

  1. Hey Tieghan! So I made this last night and for some reason the wild rice was not cooked all the way and the orzo was over cooked and I cooked much longer than recipe called for. ? the dish tasted delicious! Just wondering if it had something to do with my pan? The lid has a small venting hole. Could that have let too much steam out? What pan do you use for this dish? Thanks so much! I have a Dutch oven and wonder if that would have been better? ? LOVE ALL YOUR RECIPES!

    Reply

    1. Hey Kim,
      I am so so sorry about this! Was there anything adjusted in the recipe? I’ve never cooked with a pan that has a venting hole, but maybe that was the issue. Maybe the dutch oven would work better next time. I hope this helps! xTieghan

      Reply

  2. 4 stars
    Trying to expand our flavors this year and this recipe looked pretty easy and different!
    It was very yummy & super easy to make! Lots of rich flavor!

    Reply

    1. Hey Laura,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan

      Reply

  3. 3 stars
    I would give this recipe 5 stars for flavor but 3 stars for recipe editing. Calls for juice and zest of 1 lemon. Never tells you when to put in the lemon juice. Says the apple is optional but the actual recipe portion never tells you when to add, only figured this out by gut feeling and reading the above “blog” portion which mentioned when to add it, but again was missing from the actual recipe. Bummer since I usually like HBH recipes!

    Reply

    1. Hey Zoe,
      Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I am sorry for the confusion, I will go back to the instructions and add that in:) Happy New Year! xTieghan

      Reply

  4. Hey Tieghan! Great recipe! Made this last night and the flavors are awesome together. One question, I used the chicken breasts as the recipe calls for but they came out a little dry. Any recommendations to avoid this? Maybe shorter cooking time? Use chicken thighs instead?

    Reply

    1. Hey Sandi,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am sorry you had issues with your chicken. Next time I would reduce the cooking time, or use chicken thighs. Times may very depending on the size of your chicken breast. Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy New Year! xTieghan

      Reply

  5. 5 stars
    This is FANTASTIC my family ate it all so fast. The only reason it has less than 5 stars is because people mistakenly used apple cider vinegar rather than apple cider. It’s delicious. I don’t like rosemary so excluded that. I used a 10 inch cast iron which was slightly too small but still came out delicious. Can’t wait to make it again in a larger pot.

    Reply

    1. Hey Kristy,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  7. 4 stars
    Hi Tieghan – I am an avid fan of yours, and love your recipes! I was making this for your kids but noticed the ingredients call for a chopped honey crisp apple and lemon juice, but it doesn’t say anywhere in the recipe where to add them – so I had to omit them. Not sure if I missed something, but I would love to use them if I make this recipe again!

    Reply

    1. Hey Colin,
      So sorry for the confusion, you can add the apples with the orzo and the lemon with the cider. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  8. This will be the third, and last, request I will make to ask that this recipe be revised to include the lemon juice and chopped apple (that are in the ingredients list) in the instructions regarding when they should be added. The Lemon Rosemary Dijon Chicken recipe was posted on September 10, 2020 and as recent as yesterday you responded to this same question from another fan of yours. Why has this recipe not been revised? I understand you are incredibly busy, but if the recipe had been revised back in September you would have saved time by not having to respond to three months of the same question. Also since so many added apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider, perhaps you should consider adding “2 cups apple cider (not apple cider vinegar)”. I am a huge fan, but this recipe should have been revised when you first received comments pointing out the omission. Please revise the recipe.

    Reply

    1. Hey Earline, I have added the apple and lemon juice. I am so sorry for any confusion! As for the apple cider, I have not ever said anything about using vinegar, but i’ll be sure to make that clear. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! And Happy Holidays!! xTieghan ?

      Reply

  9. Hello, i unfortunately don’t have apple cider on hand, anything i can use to substitute? Or just use more chicken broth?

    Reply

    1. Hey Julie,
      You could use additional chicken broth. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply

  10. Made this tonight. Wasn’t sure when to add the apples, maybe I missed it, but I added about halfway in the cooking of the carrots, etc. It was AMAZING! I added the lemon juice when I added the wine and cider. It was simple to make, made the house smell like fall and was so delish. family really liked it as well. Will definitely be making this again… And again.

    Reply

    1. Hey Dianna,
      Sorry for the confusion, you can add the lemon juice with the cider and the apple with the orzo. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

      Reply

  12. 5 stars
    This dish was great. The apples were a great addition for a sweet and savory taste! I couldn’t find apple cider so I put natural apple juice in it instead and I think it worked pretty well. I didn’t taste the lemon zest at all – I’m not sure if I put enough? It did take a good bit of time getting everything chopped but putting it together was really easy. The rice and chicken cooked perfectly! I’ve never had a baked chicken and rice dish turn out perfectly.

    Reply

  14. 4 stars
    This was very tasty and perfect for a cold day! It did take longer for my rice to cook but not by much and I think it would have turned out better if I’d had a pot with more surface area but only my Dutch oven has a lid and it still turned out tasty! Thanks for the recipes, they are all so good!

    Reply

    1. Thank you so much Melissa! I am really glad this turned out well for you! I hope you are staying warm! xTieghan

      Reply

  15. Love every single one of your recipes. Cooking this right now. The recipe doesn’t say when to add the lemon juice or the honey crisp apple. When do I add these?
    Thanks,
    Cathy

    Reply

    1. Hey Cathy,
      So sorry for the confusion, you can add the apple with the orzo and the lemon juice with the cider. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

      Reply