This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
If you’re looking for a delicious weeknight dinner, this dijon chicken and wild rice skillet will be a fast family favorite. A comfort food with tons of flavor, chicken thighs, apples, and carrots are combined with wild rice for a cozy stovetop casserole recipe.
A Quick Look: Chicken and Wild Rice Skillet
- Cooking time: 55 minutes, with only 10 minutes of prep work.
- Servings – This will serve 4 people as a main dish – no sides needed.
- Main ingredients: Chicken thighs, shallots, apples, carrots, dijon mustard and wild rice.
- When to serve: This makes a great comfort food dinner in the fall and winter months.
- Dietary information: This recipe is gluten free, Mediterranean diet, and migraine diet friendly, with a dairy free option.
- Why you’ll love it: Dijon chicken and wild rice is combined in an easy skillet casserole recipe with fresh carrots and apples. It’s a healthy comfort food recipe all in one pan.
This chicken with wild rice is a great all in one pan meal where no side dishes are needed, and the dijon sauce elevates the flavors and brings the whole dish together. It’s family-friendly, perfect for a freezer meal, and makes the most amazing leftovers!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Here are a few notes on some of the ingredients and preferred substitutions. For amounts, please see the full recipe card below.
- Chicken thighs – Boneless chicken thighs work best for this recipe because they’re a little more flavorful than chicken breast and are a little more forgiving with cooking times without drying out. But you can easily use either.
- Wild rice blend – This is a blend that mixes brown rice with red rice and wild rice. This gives you a mix with wild rice but a much faster cooking time. If you want to use all wild rice you can, but Lundberg Wild Rice Blend is typically easier to find in grocery stores.
- Dijon mustard – This is the base of the sauce that pairs well with the apples, carrots, and wild rice. It provides a lot of flavor with little effort. I use a sulfite-free brand like Maille (sulfite-free version), Primal Kitchen, or Whole Foods.
- Shallots – This provides a light garlicky flavor and works well with the dijon and apples.
- Carrots and apples – Both provide a great crunch and complimentary flavor, giving this dish a hint of sweet and savory. Use any kind of fresh carrots you like, and I prefer to use honeycrisp for the apples because they hold up well in cooking with a firm texture. Pink lady would also work. Cut these into 1/2 inch chunks.
- Vegetable or chicken broth – I recommend a low sodium store-bought version or rotisserie chicken broth. Use Gourmend for onion-free.
- Fresh rosemary and dried thyme – While you can substitute dried rosemary in a pinch, fresh is much better here. Fresh thyme would work well in this dish too.
- Olive oil or butter– Use either depending on the kind of flavor you want!
Substitutions and Variations
- Creamy chicken and rice – Add a splash of heavy cream to the sauce.
- Chicken thighs – Can be substituted with chicken breast.
- More vegetables – Mushrooms would be an amazing addition to the vegetables. You could even use them in place of the chicken for a vegetarian option. You can also mix in greens like spinach leaves or arugula.
- Dairy free – Use olive oil and do not add the heavy cream.
- Gluten free – This recipe is naturally gluten free.
How to Make Chicken and Wild Rice
Step 1: To start, cook the wild rice blend according to package directions. You can use 1/2 broth and 1/2 water for the liquid amounts to increase the flavor. If you want to make this a one-pan meal, you can cook the rice in the same skillet, covered.
Step 2: Heat olive oil or butter over medium heat in a large pan or cast iron skillet. Add bite-sized pieces of boneless chicken thighs seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper. Brown them on both sides for about 6-7 minutes, increasing heat as needed. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
Step 3: In the same pan, add another tablespoon of butter or oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, shallots, and apples, plus a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Cook till softened, about 5-6 minutes. Add the broth, scraping up any browned bits.
Step 4: Add the thyme and rosemary and then turn up the heat to a simmer. Cook until the liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes, then stir in the dijon mustard and heavy cream (if using). The sauce will be thin in texture. This is ok because it all gets mixed into the rice. Add the cooked chicken back into the sauce.
Step 5: Add the cooked wild rice to the chicken and dijon sauce mixture, stirring to combine everything together in the same pan. Serve warm.
Expert Tip – Cooking Methods
For a one-pan chicken and wild rice – Use a larger enameled cast iron pan with a lid. This way you can steam the rice, remove it and then start with browning the chicken.
For a faster cook time – Use separate pans and work on the dijon chicken mixture at the same time as the rice cooks. This will cut down your cooking time by 40-45 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken and rice dinner is really a full meal in one, and side dishes aren’t necessary for pairing. But if you’d like to serve it with extra greens, I recommend this bibb lettuce salad or apple fennel salad. They’re crisp and refreshing with nice acidity that compliments the savory flavors of this meal.
Storage and Reheating
This recipe can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Or you can transfer to a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 6 months.
To reheat – Microwave in 30 second increments till warmed through, or reheat slowly in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15-20 minutes. I prefer to place the chicken and wild rice in a baking dish with foil and reheat in the oven for best results.
Cozy One Pan Chicken Recipes
For more recipes like this wild rice chicken skillet, you’ll love these chicken pot pie noodles, chicken with grapes, and crustless chicken pot pie.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 review in the recipe card! Don’t forget to tag me @thedizzycook on Facebook and Instagram, and follow along on Pinterest for more great recipes!
Dijon Chicken and Wild Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup shallots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup honeycrisp apples, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons optional: heavy cream
Instructions
- For a faster cook time – In a medium pot, cook wild rice according to package directions. I recommend adding 1/2 broth and 1/2 water for the liquid amounts to increase flavor if you have more broth on hand. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste. For a one-pan dinner – Use a large skillet with a lid and steam the rice in the pan before removing it to sear the chicken.
- In a large cast iron skillet, add 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken thigh pieces to the skillet and, season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/8th teaspoon black pepper, and brown the chicken on both sides till just cooked through – about 7-8 minutes. Increase the heat as needed to get it nicely browned. Remove the chicken pieces 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.
- Add the broth to the pan, scraping any browned bits from the bottom with a wood spoon, and bring the broth mixture to a boil. Add the thyme and rosemary, and continue to simmer until the liquid is reduced, about 5 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium and whisk in the dijon mustard and add in the cooked chicken. If using, add the heavy cream and simmer another 5 minutes (10 minutes total). The sauce will be thin but that's ok, it will be absorbed when the rice is added. Taste and adjust any seasonings.
- Stir the wild rice into the skillet with the dijon chicken and top with any extra rosemary for garnish. Serve warm.
Notes
- I use Lundberg Wild Rice Blend with 1 cup broth and 3/4 cup water for cooking. It yields roughly 3 1/2 cups cooked wild rice. You can add more or less to the skillet as you like (or have room for).
- If you can’t find honeycrisp apples, use another firm apple like pink lady so it retains it’s texture well with cooking.
- Chicken breast can be subbed for chicken thighs, but you may need to reduce the cooking time by 1-2 minutes.
- Sulfite-free dijon mustard is recommended. Maille makes a version of this, as does Whole Foods brand and Annies.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So good! I’d eat this every week or every other week!! Yummm!
Thank you!!
Excellent!