This Dijon Chicken and Wild Rice recipe is sort of like a casserole, but all put together in the stove. Filled with apples, carrots, and a rich dijon sauce, the wild rice soaks up all the great flavors for a hearty and comforting chicken dish.
How to Cook Wild Rice
Originally I meant for this recipe to be a casserole and cook the rice and the chicken all together, but I found this wasn't a very reliable method. The rice would cook at different times and yield varied results, especially if using different brands. To make this work better for everyone involved, I decided the benefits of cutting out one additional pan wasn't worth the risk. Cooking everything separately allows you to watch your rice more closely and get it cooked perfectly. And there's nothing that ruins a casserole like crunchy, undercooked rice.
For this recipe I used Lundberg Wild Rice Blend, which is widely available in the US. I've seen it at Walmart, Central Market, and Amazon. But any wild rice blend will do, just follow the package directions to cook.
- I used 1 cup of wild rice and 1 cup of homemade stock + ¾ cup of water + 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt
- Adding half broth isn't necessary, but it does add extra flavor
- Bring the ingredients to a boil, then cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on, allowing it to steam another 5 minutes.
Dijon Sauce for Chicken
The dijon sauce pairs perfectly with sweet apples and carrots and pulls the savory seared chicken together. The sauce is on the thin side, so don't expect it to get super thick and creamy. However when poured over the chicken, vegetables, and rice, it creates such a wonderful compliment and doesn't feel thin at all.
A few notes on the sauce:
- Thyme and rosemary are important flavors that cannot be missed. I used dried thyme and fresh rosemary for this dish. You can use both as dried, but you'll have to cut back on the amount of rosemary you add.
- I recommend my MSG-free Instant Pot Chicken Stock for this recipe, or the vegetable broth from my cookbook. Especially if you're following a migraine elimination diet.
- On that same topic, I use dijon without sulfites and additives like Annie's Organic or HEB Organics.
- The use of heavy cream is entirely optional. If you're dairy free, simply leave it out and use either ghee or olive oil to cook everything. I do find a few tablespoons helps thicken the sauce and make it extra luxurious. Look for brands without carrageenan, like Organic Valley.
Gluten Free Recipe
The good news is that along with the ability to make this recipe dairy free, rice is naturally gluten free and there's nothing used to thicken the sauce. So all the ingredients would be safe for anyone also following a gluten free diet without any edits.
Other Chicken Recipes
If you're a fan of this dijon chicken and wild rice, check out some of these other great chicken recipes.
Honey Garlic Chicken
Creamy Rosemary Chicken
Chicken and Brown Rice Soup
Crustless Chicken Pot Pie
Easy Roasted Chicken
If you make this recipe, don’t to tag me #thedizzycook or @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram. And please leave a review below!
Dijon Chicken and Wild Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- kosher salt and black pepper
- ½ cup carrots, chopped
- ½ cup shallots, chopped
- ½ cup apples, chopped (I used honeycrisp)
- 1 ½ cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (Optional)
Instructions
- In a medium pot, cook wild rice according to package directions. I recommend adding ½ broth and ½ water for the liquid amounts to increase flavor if you have more broth on hand.
- Meanwhile in a large, heavy pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter or heat olive oil to medium heat. Add bite sized pieces of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, season with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides till just cooked through - about 6-7 minutes. Increase heat as needed to get it nicely browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add other tablespoon of butter or olive oil. Add carrots, shallots, and apples plus a pinch of salt and pepper, cooking over medium heat till softened about 5-6 minutes. Deglaze the pan with broth, scraping any browned bits from the bottom, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and add cooked chicken, dijon, thyme, and rosemary, and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes. If using, add the heavy cream and simmer another 5 minutes (10 minutes total). The sauce will not be super thick, but still slightly thickened from where you started. Taste and adjust any seasonings.
- In a large serving bowl, layer cooked wild rice and top with the chicken and dijon sauce. Top with any remaining rosemary for garnish.
Notes
- I use Lundberg Wild Rice Blend with 1 cup broth and ¾ cup water for cooking.
- Sauce will be thinner if you omit the heavy cream for dairy free.
- Chicken breast can be subbed for chicken thighs, but the cooking time will be slightly shorter.
- See post for more product recommendations.
- Please do not rely on the sodium count as calculations can changed based on the broth used. I use my own homemade broth but my program calculates it as boxed (which is a much higher sodium content).
This was absolutely delicious - my roommates and I all loved it! Sure to become a go-to on winter nights.
This is so delicious!! The combination of flavors was great and I had fun making it too… it made the house smell so nice! I’ll definitely make this again. Thanks as always Alicia!
I could not believe how delicious this was. My family is immediately obsessed. Can’t wait to make it again! Thank you for your recipes!
Simple and delicious recipe that the whole family enjoyed! This will definitely make its way into our dinner rotation. Thank you Alicia!
What a delightfully flavorful recipe! I added a couple pinches of GF all purpose flour to thicken the sauce since I was using oat milk to keep in dairy free and it worked well! My husband isn't normally a huge mustard fan and even he said the flavor was great! Doubled this batch to freeze the left overs, though there wasn't much left!
Absolutely delicious!! Comforting without feeling too heavy…a perfect cozy fall dish!!
Loved this so so much! My husband and kids loved it too. It is the perfect comfort food and it reheats beautifully!
Thank you, Lacy!!
This was amazing! We had it for dinner tonight, and everyone loved it so much, I do not have enough leftovers for a second meal. Definitely will double next time! Delicious!
Absolutely delicious. My husband called it a keeper. Thanks for another great recipe..
Yay! So happy he enjoyed it too!
This dish was so delicious. My family really enjoyed it, even my youngest who is a picky-eater! Can’t wait to make it again.
Big hit in our house and great flavors
Big hit in our house and great flavors
So flavorful, the family loved it. Will make again.