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The perfect winter dinner—quick, easy, colorful, and so comforting. Grainy Dijon–coated chicken is pan-seared in butter, then roasted together with orzo, carrots, celery, fresh herbs, and broth. The result is chicken-soup vibes with mustardy roasted chicken, all cooked together in one easy pot.
When I’m cooking dinner with my mom in mind, I always keep things simple—she can be a little picky. And when I really want to comfort her, I usually make something along the lines of chicken soup or a basic roasted chicken with rice.
She’s always loved chicken noodle soup more than most. When I was a kid, she could happily eat bowl after bowl all winter long. It was her favorite lunch, always with a side of air-popped popcorn.
Since I started sharing my cooking with her, she’s fallen in love with the combination of chicken and orzo. When creating this recipe, I wanted a simple mustard-roasted chicken with lemony orzo, but with extra broth so it eats almost like a cozy chicken soup.
I love a brothy orzo dish, and roasting chicken with white wine, chicken broth, and butter creates the most incredible flavor. Add in the orzo and vegetables, and suddenly it really does feel like chicken soup in a pot—with golden mustard chicken on top.
It’s easily one of the simplest dinners to make, and it’s so good served with a crusty loaf of warm ciabatta on the side.
These are the details
The Ingredients
- Dijon mustard
- whole grain mustard
- smoked paprika
- garlic powder
- crushed fennel seed
- salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
- chicken breasts or thighs
- salted butter
- an onion
- carrots
- celery
- dry orzo pasta
- fresh thyme
- white wine – try Lanark Lane Sauvignon Blanc
- broth
- lemon juice
- fresh parsley
Kitchen Tools
For this dish, you’ll need a large round Dutch oven or oval Dutch oven.
These are the steps
Step 1: Season the Chicken
In a bowl, toss the chicken with the Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, paprika, garlic powder, fennel, and a generous pinch of salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
I love adding flavor right from the very start.
Step 2: Sear the Chicken
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside while you cook the vegetables.
Step 3: Cook the Vegetables and Orzo
To the same pot, add the onions, carrots, celery, orzo, and thyme. Cook, stirring often, until the orzo is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
It should be smelling really good at this point.
Step 4: Add the Liquids
Pour in the white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper, and bring everything to a boil.
Step 5: Add the Chicken Back
Nestle the chicken and any accumulated juices back into the pot. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.
Transfer the pot to the oven and bake. You want the chicken sitting on top of the orzo with plenty of broth still in the pot so everything stays nice and cozy.
Serving
When the dish comes out of the oven, finish with extra fresh thyme, parsley, or dill.
I love serving this with warm ciabatta on the side and a little grated Parmesan. It’s a true crowd-pleaser—beautiful straight from the oven and even better smelling.
Perfect for easy weeknight dinners or casual entertaining, this dish really brightens the table on a cold day!
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Lastly, if you make this One Pot Mustard Chicken and Orzo, 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 Mustard Chicken and Orzo
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
- salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup white wine, I use Lanark Lane Sauvignon Blanc
- 4 cups broth
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425°F.2. Toss chicken with both mustards, paprika, garlic powder, fennel seed, salt, pepper, and chili flakes.3. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove.4. Add onions, carrots, celery, orzo, and thyme. Cook until orzo is toasted, 2 minutes. Add wine, then broth; season with salt & pepper and bring to a boil.5. Return chicken and juices to the pot. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Bake uncovered 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Serve with fresh thyme.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Tried this recipe last night…husband and I enjoyed it very much! I followed the recipe as written. There are definitely lots of interesting ingredients, but they all came together nicely. I wasn’t sure about the fennel at first because I recently made a soup with fennel (seeds, plus a fresh chopped bulb) and I didn’t care for that soup. It was too much fennel, which came from the chopped bulb. HOWEVER, the crushed fennel seeds offered a subtleness that worked well. The fresh lemon at the end was a nice touch, too.
Another poster used the word “rustic” to describe this dish. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but after eating our meal, I think I get it. The dish is almost stew-like and it has a warmness, that might make you think of the fall season, but NO, just think WINTER. It’s perfect for cold, snowy night! I don’t think that 2 pounds of chicken is enough compared to the amount of orzo though. Two pounds of chicken = 6 thighs and we only have 3 left for tonight’s dinner, which is not enough compared to the amount of orzo leftover. I will add some zucchini to round it all off and it will be great.
Lastly, I didn’t use the suggested wine, but used a dry wine that was already opened in my fridge and it worked well, too. I will definitely make this recipe again and share it with others. The only thing I would change is add more chicken…maybe 3 pounds instead.
Hey Karen,
Wow! thank you so much! I truly appreciate you making this dish and sharing all of your helpful notes:)
So glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great Thursday!
Total flop
Hi Ash,
Sorry to hear you did not enjoy this recipe. Is there anything specific that I can help with? Please let me know!
I thought this was so good! My husband would have preferred a less soupy version but I thought it was great! Will make again!
Thanks so much, Nicole! Glad to hear you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it!
This recipe is exactly as described in the post — warm & comforting! Just the uncomplicated meal I want when it’s 10 degrees outside.
Hey Sarah,
Fantastic! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, love to hear it was a winner! Have a great Wednesday!
Nothing about this recipe worked for me and the flavor profile was odd
Very sorry to hear this, Katelyn. Thanks for trying the recipe and your comment.
I made this for my Monday night dinner group. I made it as Tieghan wrote the recipe. I was a little worried seeing some of the negative comments, but I gave it a try anyway. We ALL enjoyed it! One said it was rustic tasting. It wasn’t over-powering in any one seasoning, but it smelled great cooking and tasted really good on a cold night. I served it with roasted broccoli, a colorful green salad, and rolls. (We finished the wine with dinner. 😜) Thumbs up all around! Thanks for another yummy recipe.
Hey Joy,
Amazing!! Thank you so much for your kind message and giving this recipe a go! I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best week!
I made this tonight and wasn’t in the mood for something soupy, but I loved the flavors that were described, so I just added extra orzo (I used the full 16-oz box). I’m also not a fan of smoked paprika, so I substituted regular paprika, and it tasted really good. Everything came together beautifully and I really loved how this turned out.
Hey Jennifer,
Awesome!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it!
Made this last night – delicious!! The fennel is a nice touch – super subtle, but very tasty.
Hey Leslie,
Fantastic! Love to hear you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it!
This really missed the mark.
Definitely would not make again. Did not taste of mustard – this dish did t know what it wanted to be. I try to make one of your recipies every week and this one missed the mark.
Hi Valerie,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed!
I was hoping this would be a new one to add to our meal rotation but it won’t be. It was really not very good.
Hi Janet,
Very sorry to hear this, thanks for trying the recipe. If there is anything that I can help with, please let me know!
Oh my gosh this was absolutely delicious!! We could not stop picking at it after we were full. I am looking forward to serving it to family and friends one day in the near future. I used 8 thighs (just slightly more than 2 pounds) and my 12 inch dutch oven. Most dutch ovens are 10 inch which was not enough room to fit all the thighs evenly on the bottom. I found all the portions were perfect. Not dry or runny, just perfect! Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Renee,
Love to hear this! Thanks for giving this recipe a go, so glad it was enjoyed!
Have a great weekend!☃️
Too mushy and too many competing flavors that nothing really stood out.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Alice. Sorry to hear you did not enjoy this recipe!
This was amazing! Loved all of the flavors and was super easy to make. I’d maybe use a little more orzo but so good!
Hey Jenny,
Awesome!! I appreciate you trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
How long is the cook time? It says 40min but in the instructions it would only be 23
Hi Paige,
You can follow the directions as written, bake uncovered for 15 minutes. I hope you love this dish!