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I made us dinner… the easy way.
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With one freaking pot guys! Is there anything better??
Well, I actually, like dinners that require some hands on work, BUT I genuinely enjoy working in the kitchen. Err, well most of the time I do. Sometimes when there is pressure to make the food look pretty, it can be a little hard. Especially if said food is just ugly, but most of the time I like it. Of course there are times when I get extremely tired cooking, just like any of the rest of you. I actually had the worst day on Monday, I really did not feel like cooking, but I felt like I needed to get some cooking in. UGH. I should have just called it quits before I even started and listened to my tired self. I sort of have a hard time listening to my body though, especially when it tells me not to work. I normally ignore it and I’m fine, but not Monday, I failed at everything. Miserably.
It was Monday though, what do you expect? They can be rough on us all. Really though, I should have just stayed in bed. It was one of those cold rainy days that called for blowing everything else off. Will I ever learn?
Here is what you should not blow off though, this One-Pot Autumn Herb Roasted Chicken.
See, it’s one of the best things I have ever done.
It’s everyone classic, favorite dinner all in one pot. No extra dishes, just one pot. Ok, that is not counting the plate you may use to serve the chicken on, and the utensils you will have to use to cook the chicken, but really this is one minimal dish dinner.
I have had this idea since last year at this time. Only last year the idea was to leave the chicken whole like you would traditionally do. I made it twice, both successfully and both delicious, but to be honest it was not the best it could be because the chicken skin never got all that crispy. Um that, and I could not possibly get the pictures. Like that dish just hated me, so I forgot about it for a while. But then I remember it again the other week. This time I was determined to get it right.
I made a few changes, swapped in some much easier, already cut whole chicken, and then just like that, it all came together into the perfect meal.
And it really is the perfect meal. There is healthy protein, healthy carbs, healthy veggies and even a little butter for you know, balance.
I know that roasted chicken is an easy dish to make, but the thing with roasted chicken is, it needs sides. You at least need a grain and veggies. Which  means way too many dishes and way too much hands on time. This combines everything into a one-pot dinner. And you know what, it’s even better than if you were to cook each dish separately, because as the rice cooks the flavors and juices from the chicken seep down into the rice and create the most delicious wild rice pilaf. Then all the broth and beer that are cooking the rice, keep the chicken extra moist. It’s a win, win meal and honestly, it is so good.
Everything gets started on the stove with a quick browning of the chicken so we get that nice crispy skin and then you toast the rice in the leftover juices from the chicken + a little butter. Add lots of herbs, some broth, some beer and then cover everything and bake for forty-five minutes to an hour. I went for the full hour, but I had a little more in my pot than this recipe calls for.
If you have time and don’t mind dirtying one more dish, then make the cider “gravy”. It’s so easy and really compliments the cozy fall flavors of the dish. Plus, gravy makes stuff better, don’t you think?
I served this on a Sunday and it could not have been more perfect. The only thing I added was a side of beer bread. No roasted chicken and rice dinner is complete without it. That’s obvious though, right?
Also, the smells in the house as this bakes? Oh my gosh, it’s perfection.
One-Pot Autumn Herb Roasted Chicken with Butter Toasted Wild Rice.
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 838 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds bone-in chicken parts (breast thighs + legs), pat dry
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons + 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 1/2 cups wild rice
- 3/4 cup orzo pasta use gluten free if needed
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup of your favorite beer I used pumpkin
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 cups button mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons dried parsley or 1/4 cup fresh
- 4 whole sage chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 head garlic halved
- 1 sweet onion peel + cut into fourths
Cider Drizzle (optional)
- 2 cups apple cider
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat a large 3-5 quart brasier or dutch oven over high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place the chicken in a ziplock bag and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, rosemary, brown sugar, and a good pinch of both salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot brasier (or whatever you are using) and sear on both sides until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan. Repeat with any remaining chicken, remove from the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons butter. Add the orzo and cook about 1-2 minutes or until lightly toasted and golden, stirring often (watch this closely as it burns fast). Add the wild rice and toast another 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Toss in the carrots and mushrooms, cook 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, beer and another pinch of salt and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the parsley and sage. Remove from the heat.
- Place the chicken right on top of the rice. Drizzle with lemon juice, season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the onion quarters and garlic (you can leave the skin on the garlic). Throw in a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary. Divide the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over the chicken pieces. Cover the pan tightly with a lid (or tin foil if you have to, but a tight fitting lid works best).
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is cooked. During the last 5 minutes of cooking remove the lid and allow the chicken to brown a little more, if needed, add in 1/2 cup more chicken broth to keep the rice from getting dry.
- To serve, plate the rice and chicken, if desired, drizzle with cider (recipe below).
- If desired, make the cider drizzle while the chicken roasts. Add the cider to a sauce pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until the cider is reduced and thick + syrupy. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
Now go make it. It’s great any day of the week. My favorite is on a cozy un-rushed Sunday night.
This looks awesome, I just got a whole cut up chicken today and a giant box of farm vegetables, so I’ll probably add some squash/zucchini when I make this beautiful dish! 🙂
I made this last night and it was great! The flavors were so so good. I used a dutch oven and also had a little trouble, as other people seemed to (now I’m wanting a braiser and have zero room for anything else in my kitchen!). For some reason my rice didn’t cook – when I took it out of the oven after an hour I had to simmer it on the stovetop for awhile because it was still really hard. Then the rice was cooked but the liquid still didn’t all soak up, which was fine. I just brought as much of the chicken onion and mushrooms to the top as possible and stuck it under the broiler to get some nice color. I also had a pretty thick layer of melted butter floating over the top (maybe wouldn’t have happened if all of the liquid soaked up?) making it a little greasy. All of these things didn’t matter when I took my first bite!! I will definitely be making this again with a few tweaks to better fit my kitchen. Thanks for another great recipe!!
ive been wanting to make one of your recipes for so long!! this was SO good!! the chicken was perfect and the rice just soaked up all the flavor.. im still thinking about it! cant wait to try whats next
Hi! I just made this dish tonight, and it came out great. I’m constantly looking for meals for my Le Creuset! Please keep them coming! I’m going to explore your site for more ideas! Thanks again 🙂
This looks delicious! I am loving your blog as well. Can you please share what size pan you used. I’m not sure mine is large enough to hold everything. Thanks! 🙂
Thanks Lisa!! I used a 5 quart brasier. Hope you love this and please let me know if you have any other questions.
This dish is amazing and its in the oven as I type and my house smells nothing short of heavenly! Please note though the prep time isoee like 50 minutes and not 10…at least for me. By the time I measure every thing out, chop, sear chicken etc, it’s almost an hour before it goes in the oven. Forgot to brown mushroom and carrot so threw them in, cooked for a couple of minutes, then added chix, lemon juice, butter and threw it in the oven. Feel sure that they’ll cook just fine. Am also trying to half the recipe as there is only myself and husband to cook for. Love your site and recipes! Thank you!!!!
Hey Susan, I am thrilled you love this recipe!! Sorry the prep time in not correct for you. I am not sure why it says ten minutes, It took me about 30 so I must of overlooked my typo. Thanks for making me aware of it!!
Again, so happy you love this. THANK YOU!
I find myself checking out your blog more and more for dinner inspirations, this was the second dish on your site that I have tried. Everyone in my house loved this dish, I decided to swap out the mushrooms for parsnips, they added nicely to the “root vegetable” feel of the dish. Thanks for sharing!
THANKS so much!! I am thrilled you are enjoying my site and recipes!
Love the parsnip swap! 🙂
Ohh my this was outstanding…the chicken was so moist. I loved the cider gravy!
So excited you loved this. THANK YOU!
Tieghan- I just came across your blog today and I LOVE it! Every recipe I’ve read sounds amazing! You have such a great voice in your writing that keeps me engaged and your photos are phenomenal! I love how connected you are to your family too! I love cooking for mine when I can, but there’s only 4 of us which makes it a lot easier! 🙂
Can’t wait to get updates in my email now! Keep rockin it!
Thank you so much, Ali!! So happy to have you as a new reader. Hope you get to try a few recipes and love them! 🙂
This recipe is going right into my cherished journal of favorite fall recipes. I came upon your recipe/ blog by chance and am so thankful I did. I made this recipe tonight, and it came out wonderfully. I followed it exactly and would not change a thing. Thank you!
I too couldn’t manage to get browned mushrooms or onions. I used a large Dutch oven and everything was pretty much submerged once I added all the broth and beer. The pan is probably 6 or 7 inches deep, needed to accommodate all this foodstuff. Any suggestions on a different pan to use in order to get that browning and thorough cooking? The flavors and aromas were marvelous, I must admit, and the chicken was falling off the bone (though some of the meat near the bones was a bit pink), but I’d really like to achieve the picture-perfect meal.
Also the beer bread was great! Perhaps a little bit more salt is needed (for my tastes). I used Trader Joe’s pumpkin ale in both dishes–perfect!
Hey Brooke! So happy you enjoyed this meal! I think for more even cooking you should try using a brasier. I have a Staub Braiser that I love, but any brand will work. This pan is wider and shallow, which will allow the tops of the veggies to brown slightly. Or at least this is how it works for me. If you are interested, here is the brasier I have.
Please let me know if you have anymore questions. Thanks again!
Thank you for responding so quickly! There was no link in your message to the brasier…Would my All-Clad saute pan work instead? Would it have sufficient volume?
Beautiful photographs for what I can imagine was a hard dish to shoot! I just got myself a cast iron casserole and can’t wait to get some one pot dishes going.
Thank you so much! Hope you are having a great weekend!
Is there a substitue for the beer? We don’t like the taste or smell of beer or any craft ales. Thanks,
Hey Heather! I would use apple cider or chicken broth, but I highly recommend the cider. Hope you love this dinner!
I’m about to make this, and can’t fathom how my entire cut up chicken is going to fit in my 5qt braiser. Your pot looks much bigger in the pictures! Are you sure that I should use all this chicken? (2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs)
This was delicious! Made it last night for dinner. A perfect fall meal!
So happy you loved it! Thanks for reporting back 🙂