Next Post
Miso Roasted Acorn Squash + Pomegranate Salad w/Waffled Cheddar Apple Tahini Toast.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
I made us dinner… the easy way.
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.
Is there something you would use instead of lemon? I’m allergic for citrus and I would love to make this but I’m worried if I omit the lemon I’ll be losing a key flavor.
Thanks!
Hi Jess! You can definitely omit the lemon and just add a little bit more of your favorite seasoning to it so it doesn’t lose flavor! xTieghan
I made it again for the seventh year in a row. This is literally the longest tradition I’ve ever had as an adult LOL. Thanks again and currently enjoying leftovers. Sooooo gooood.
Some tips for those who are doing it for the first time: I’ve never had an issue with the rice not cooking but I use Ralston Family Farms rice blend which isn’t actually wild rice. I switched to using a whole 4lb chicken, spatchcocked, which makes for quick searing and lots of flavor. Definitely recommend starting on the cider syrup way ahead of time, at least an hour. You can always keep it warm. Don’t skip the cider syrup, it makes the dish. Usually the carrots aren’t as roasty as I like them, since I do keep the pieces pretty big, so I just take the chicken out after the hour is up and put the rice & veggies back in the oven with the lid off while the chicken rests. In the past, I’ve even gone as far as to pre-char the carrots and onions but that may be overkill.
Make this! It’s worth it!
Hey Alanna,
Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! Thanks so much for sharing what works well for you. Have the best weekend? xTieghan
I’m sorry, I really wanted this recipe to work but it does not. Orzo and wild rice cook at very different temps. I cooked the wild rice for 1.5 hours and it was still crunchy while the orzo was soggy.
I gave up the night of, and tried to cook/reheating the rice the next day by adding more broth and simmering for another hour or so, which finally worked. But by then, the vegetables were very soggy and the orzo in the mixture was mush. I’m somewhat of a skilled cook so I thought to remove the chicken and just eat that separately (had to pick the crunchy bits of wild rice off the chicken). If I did not remove the chicken, it would have been way to overcooked if I had let it cook for 2-3 hours total.
I would suggest par boiling the rice first to avoid this as it takes so long to cook. That said, the flavors were all there, so I’d do this again, but try a different method.
Sorry you did not enjoy the recipe Nadia, let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
The flavors are truly lovely but I cooked it an hour, took the chicken out and cooked it another twenty minutes and the wild rice STILL wasn’t cooked. I would go with a different type of rice. I really loved the combination of flavors, and we ate the crunchy rice because it’s 7pm on a Monday but disappointing that it didn’t cook. I followed the directions exactly – if you want to use wild rice par cook it by boiling for 15-20 minutes before proceeding with baking.
Hey Zee,
So sorry the rice took longer than expected to cook, I am unsure why that would have happened if you followed all of the instructions. xTieghan
I made this last night, the wild rice takes much longer to cook than the orzo so at the end of cool time the orzo was basically falling apart and the wild rice was still el dente. I’d recommend maybe just using regular rice
Hi Jen! I am sorry it took so long! I hope it turned out well for you! xTieghan
Can I use dark brown sugar?
Hi Kathleen! Dark brown sugar will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
Confused by carrots- is it supposed to be 3 normal size carrots cut in to 1/2 inch pieces or 3 small (1 inch) carrots cut in half?
Hey Ellen! You need 3 normal size carrots for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I tried this recipe last night for supper and it was amazing! I had some boneless chicken breasts thawed out and my kids were coming for supper. I wanted something different not the same old same old kind of chicken!
this hit the spot and my kids took home half of the leftovers for lunches the next day!
Thank you so much Cheryl! xTieghan
Thank you for your reply! Yes, I had it covered for 45 minutes or so and then uncovered for the last 5-10 min.
Hey Tieghan! I don’t have an instant pot or a crock pot, so was so happy to find it and to make this lovely recipe tonight on the stove/into the oven and we loved it! The only downside was not so crisp chicken skin, so I guess I should have brown it a bit more at the very beginning?
It was sinking into the wild rice/orzo mixture, so maybe I should mount chicken pieces on the top of onion/garlic halves pieces to get them less soggy and more crispy? Not sure.
The flavors were divine though. Thank you!
HI! Are you covering the dish while it is in the oven? Was the chicken crisp before adding the rice? So glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Subbed brown rice for the grains since my husband is gluten intolerant and I’m not a fan of wild rice – followed everything else exactly and oh my gosh how delicoious! Been eating on this for days and I’m so excited for my leftovers every lunch 🙂
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Grace!
Do you know if this could be made in a crockpot?
HI! I am not sure as I have not tested this as a crockpot recipe. If you feel comfortable trying to adapt it, i’d say to go for it! I would follow the directions similar to what I have listed and then add the rice and chicken to the crockpot and slow cook for 4-6 hours. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Tieghan, this looks spectacular and a dish I will for sure be making once the weather cools off around here. I just need that pot though! Lovely!
I hope you love this! Thank you!
This recipe looks great! I hope you can give me more info on how to handle the garlic. I assume I’m halving it horizontally, and that it roasts right on top. At some point, do I squeeze the garlic pulp out, or do the halves of the head of garlic just melt away into the dish, skin and all? Thanks!
Hi! Yes, the garlic will roast and caramelize right on top of the dish. I don’t squeeze the garlic out and add to the rice, but instead I save it for another use. That said, you can certainly squeeze out the garlic, mash and add to this rice for a garlicy rice! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I just want you to know, I make this masterpiece every damn year on the first cold night (and I’m usually very lax on my idea of “cold” because I just can’t bear to wait). We are chowing down on it now. I dare say this is the best one yet. I love you. Thank you! 😀
Thank you Alanna! It is so nice to hear that you have been making this recipe over the years and you still love it!