Dijon Chicken and Wild Rice Skillet
This chicken and wild rice skillet dinner combines chicken with a wild rice blend and herby dijon sauce for a cozy stovetop dinner.
Servings: 4 people
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
Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 252mg | Potassium: 770mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2763IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 3mg
