Chicken and Wild Rice Skillet
This nourishing chicken and wild rice skillet is the perfect fall & winter dish. It’s full of hearty ingredients like a wild rice blend, carrots, sweet potatoes and onion cooked in a spice blend with broth and pan-seared chicken thighs.
It’s a delicious one-pan meal that packs in complex carbs, protein and veggies all in one, with minimal clean-up for an easy weekday dinner.
The wild rice is made with a blend of black, red, brown and white rice. It has a nutty flavor, and adds the perfect heartiness and texture to this dish. It’s a good source of B vitamins, and adds a little extra fiber and protein to this recipe.
What You’ll Need to make Chicken & Wild Rice Skillet
This one-pan meal takes only 15 minutes of prep time. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe-
- Wild Rice: made with a blend of black, red, brown and white rice. I always opt for a wild rice mix for its flavor and texture
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs– this recipe can be made with thighs or breast
- Carrots, sweet potatoes & onion- the potatoes and carrots absorb so much of the flavor when cooked, and add even more fiber to the dish
- Spices and herbs: salt, pepper, garlic powder, dry dill and thyme
- Crushed garlic
- Broth or sub water- I always keep low-sodium vegetable broth around so that’s what I used in this recipe
- Olive oil
- Start by searing the chicken thighs in oil until browned on both sides, then setting them aside
- To the oil, add in the chopped carrots, onion and sweet potato and cook together for 8-10 minutes
- Add in the rice, spices and garlic and toss together, then pour in the vegetable broth
- Place the chicken back into the pan and cover with a lid. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the flame to simmer for 25-35 minutes
Serving suggestions
When ready, mostly all of the liquid should have been absorbed. Let the pan rest off of the flame for 10 minutes.
I like to remove the chicken from the pan and fluff the rice together with a fork. If needed, you can add any extra salt or pepper that may be missing.
Place the chicken back in, whole or shredded, and serve with fresh herbs on top.
My braiser pan is my go-to baking dish for these types of recipes. It’s the perfect pan to serve in straight out of the oven, and makes this recipe that much simpler to make!
Other hearty dinner ideas you’ll love:
One-pan Chicken and Couscous
Mediterranean Salmon Sheet Pan
Spinach & Artichoke Orzo and Salmon
Chicken and Wild Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs seasoned lightly with salt, pepper and garlic powder
- 1 1/2 cups wild rice blend
- 3 cups low-sodium broth or water
- 1 sweet potato peeled and finely diced into 1/4" pieces
- 2 carrots peeled and finely diced into 1/4" pieces
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp dry dill
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Fresh thyme
Directions
- Heat a large skillet on medium heat with olive oil.
- Season the chicken lightly with a little salt, pepper and garlic powder and sear it in the oil on both sides, for 2-3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside on a plate.
- Add the onion, diced carrots and sweet potato to the oil. Saute together for 8-10 minutes, tossing every couple of minutes.
- Add in the rice, garlic and spices and toss together, then pour in the broth or water and mix.
- Place the chicken back into the pan- be sure to pour any remaining juices from the plate over the pan. Scatter a few sprigs of thyme throughout the pan.
- Cover the pan with a lid. Bring everything to a boil, then once boiling reduce the flame to low to simmer. Keep on a simmer for 25-35 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.
- Let rest for 10 minutes off of the flame. Remove the pan and remove the thyme sprigs. I like to set the chicken aside and fluff the rice before serving. You can add the chicken back in whole or shredded. Garnish with fresh extra thyme.
This was absolutely delicious!! Another great recipe, Gal! Perfect for fall/winter, super hearty and nutritious. The chicken was so tender! I added fresh parsley on top for a bit of freshness too