Chicken and rice are staples in many easy weeknight dinner recipes. If you have these simple ingredients and you’re wondering what to make, consider this quick and simple one pot meal with Brussels sprouts and bacon. This baked chicken rice casserole is a hearty, filling and tasty, and something the whole family will love, especially during the cooler months. You will love this tasty rice recipe!
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This winter warmer recipe boasts juicy chicken and rice, along with other ingredients like white wine, thyme and Brussels sprouts. You can make this baked creamy chicken one pot meal in a Dutch oven, so you won’t have much washing up to do afterwards.
Ingredients for Dutch Oven Chicken and Rice
Chicken and rice are the main ingredients in this easy weeknight dinner. You also need Brussels sprouts and bacon – two ingredients that are delicious together.
Chardonnay or another kind of white wine, along with chicken stock, makes a sauce for the rice to cook it. There are simple seasonings, such as salt, pepper, onion dip mix, butter, onion, garlic, heavy cream, and fresh thyme.
Feel free to sub another kind of white wine. Anything medium to dry would work, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc. Just don’t use a sweet white wine here.
If you don’t wish to add alcohol at all, you can either use a non-alcoholic wine or else just and extra water or chicken stock or chicken broth. Doing this might mean you have to adjust the salt level in the baked chicken recipe.
How to Make this Chicken and Rice One Pot Meal
Heat your Dutch oven over a high heat. Season the chicken with onion dip mix, salt and pepper. Add some butter to the pot. Give the chicken a minute per side in there.
Take the chicken out with a slotted spoon and add the bacon. Once that’s nearly crispy you can add the onions, garlic, and Brussels sprouts. Sauté for a few minutes and then you can add more butter along with the rice.
Cook for a few minutes, then add the wine, stock and heavy cream, and stir well. Add the seared chicken on top and top it with thyme. Now transfer the whole thing into a hot oven and bake for about 45 minutes. Give the rice a good stir and let it sit uncovered for a few minutes. Serve hot with fresh thyme leaves.
Why Every Kitchen Needs a Dutch Oven
A Dutch oven is a heavy, ovenproof pot. This is very handy because you can start a recipe on the stove and finish it in the oven. There are plenty of Dutch ovens online to choose from.
You can make all kinds of dishes in there, including this taco mac and cheese and a wide variety of stews, scalloped potatoes, and even breads.
If you don’t have a Dutch oven you can still make this Brussels sprouts and bacon chicken dish. Either start it in a saucepan then transfer it into an oven dish, cover with foil and bake, or use another kind of heatproof container – one without any plastic or other materials that would melt in the oven.
Easy Recipe Variations
You can replace some of the ingredients to make this easy weeknight dinner your own. Not so keen on Brussels sprouts and bacon?
You could use cabbage and maybe turkey bacon. You can also just leave the bacon out and add some extra salt to make up for it. Turkey would work in place of the chicken, or veggie stock instead of chicken stock. Instead of chicken breasts, you could substitute in boneless skinless chicken thighs. As for rice, you can try using brown rice, white rice or even jasmine rice instead.
One-pot chicken recipes such as this one are always good for using up anything slightly beyond its prime you find in the salad drawer. Mushrooms, zucchini or celery would also be good in this dish. This chicken and brussel sprout casserole is a versatile one!
Chicken and Rice One Pot Meal FAQs
Yes, you can make it ahead and then warm it back up in the oven. I typically keep the baked chicken in the Dutch oven and serve it out of there.
If you’re doing that, it’s best to put the Dutch oven (which will be cold from the refrigerator) in a cold oven, then turn it on. The reason for this is that if you expose a very cold pot or dish to heat, it could crack. That’s why it’s best to let it warm up in there.
Keep any baked chicken leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This easy weeknight dinner can be microwaved in a few minutes the following day for lunch.
You can also freeze this one pot meal. Again, ensure it’s in an airtight container so no ice crystals can get in there. Then thaw it out overnight when you want to enjoy this one pot meal again!
All the ingredients in there are freezer-friendly, so you might like to double up the recipe and freeze some in batches for future dinners.
One Pot Chicken and Rice with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Recipe
One Pot Chicken and Rice with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless skinless
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon pepper
- 2 Tablespoon onion dip mix
- 6 Tablespoon unsalted butter divided
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 1 white onion sliced
- 2 Cups brussels sprouts
- 4 Cloves garlic
- ¼ Cup chardonnay
- 1 ½ Cups long grain rice
- 2 ½ Cup chicken stock
- ⅓ Cup heavy cream
- 6 Sprigs fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat a Dutch oven over high heat.
- Season both sides of chicken with salt pepper and onion dip mix.
- Add 2 tbsp butter to Dutch oven and quickly add the chicken breast as the butter melts. Sear for 1 minute per side.
- Remove chicken. Add the chopped bacon. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Next, add the onions, halved brussels sprouts, and minced garlic to the bacon. Stir and sauté for 3 minutes
- Add the rice and remaining butter. Stir and cook for 3 minutes to lightly brown.
- Lower the heat. Deglaze the pan with chardonnay.
- Pour in the stock and heavy cream, and stir
- Add chicken and top with thyme sprigs. cover. Place into oven and cook for 45 minutes
- Remove chicken and set aside.
- Stir and fluff the rice. Let sit for 5 minutes uncovered.
- Serve chicken sliced with a scoop of rice and garnish with fresh thyme leaves.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
This chicken rice brussel sprouts casserole makes a delicious one pot meal. It’s a nice dish if you’re having company over and want to serve comfort food, because the last step is baking it in the oven for 45 minutes, in which time you can forget about it until the mouth-watering aroma lets you know it’s ready! I’d also suggest that you add this great recipe to your list of easy dinners for a busy weeknight.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a storyteller, food lover, dog mom and adventure seeker living on the Pacific coast. She shares her passion for food, dogs, fitness, adventures, travel and philanthropy, in hopes of encouraging followers to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places and stand for a cause. Bella lives with Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease.
We love this recipe!