As this unusual summer draws to a close, it’s time to start moving into new routines for fall. Having a routine dinnertime can be so helpful when the world feels like it has turned upside down. Connecting with your loved ones over a great meal on a regular basis can help provide a sense of stability, normalcy, and gratitude for the simple things in life. Easy recipes like this One Pot Lemon Artichoke Chicken and Rice will make getting back into a dinnertime routine a breeze. 30 minutes, one pot, and you’re done! And don’t forget to get your family or roommates involved—the cooking process can be just as fun and therapeutic as the meal itself!
This post is sponsored by ALDI. Ingredient prices and availability may vary. Visit ALDI on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram.
Grocery shopping at ALDI has been crucial to helping me get back into a routine among all the chaos this year. The small size of the store makes it easy to just get in, get out, and on my way, all without sacrificing selection. They’ve got all my grocery basics, tons of fresh produce (organics, too), and plenty of fun specialty and seasonal ingredients that inspire me to make delicious and flavorful meals, like this Lemon Artichoke Chicken and Rice.
For this easy one pot meal I combined the briny flavor of artichokes with bright fresh lemon, a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little kick, and a light sprinkle of salty feta to give every bite a little pop. And yes, you can get all of these ingredients at ALDI, even the artichoke hearts and feta (their specialty cheese selection is top notch)! It’s the classic and comforting combination of chicken and rice dish with an elevated flavor twist.
What Type of Pot Should I Use?
You will need a pot or skillet that has a tight fitting lid for this recipe. I used a 3 quart covered deep skillet, but a Dutch oven will also work well. You could even make this in a rice cooker, if your stove top rice cooking skills still need a little work! Just add everything to your rice cooker, give it a brief stir, and set it to the regular rice cooking cycle.
Tips for One Pot Rice Recipes
As with all “one pot” recipes, having good cookware is key. Using a good quality pot or pan that heats evenly will ensure that your rice cooks thoroughly and evenly without burning. Avoid thin or lightweight cookware as these can tend to cause hot and cold spots that don’t cook evenly.
Make sure to let the chicken and rice “rest” for about 5 minutes after turning off the heat. This allows the steam to redistribute throughout the rice, producing a more even texture and loosening any grains from the bottom of the pot.
Use a pot or pan that is close in size to your burner. Using a pot that is too wide for the burner may cause the outside edges to under cook.
What Can I Serve on the Side?
I consider this a “one pot meal” that is filling and diverse enough that it wouldn’t necessarily require a side dish, but if you want to up the vegetable content of your meal, a simple side salad of mixed greens, grape tomatoes, and a light vinaigrette would be a perfect light side. And yes, you can get all the ingredients for an awesome side salad like that at ALDI! ;)
One Pot Lemon Artichoke Chicken and Rice
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 fresh lemon ($0.43)
- 1 lb. Kirkwood Fresh Chicken Breasts (boneless, skinless) ($2.49)
- 2 Tbsp Carlini Extra Virgin Olive Oil ($0.23)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 tsp Stonemill Dried Oregano ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp Stonemill Crushed Red Pepper ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1 12oz. jar Tuscan Garden Quartered Artichoke Hearts ($2.59)
- 1 cup Earthly Grains Long Grain White Rice ($0.25)
- 1.5 cups Chef's Cupboard Chicken Broth ($0.45)
- 1 oz. Emporium Selection Feta Cheese Crumbles ($0.55)
Optional Garnish
- 2 Tbsp chopped parsley ($0.10)
Instructions
- Zest and juice the lemon. You'll need about 2 Tbsp lemon juice and ½ tsp lemon zest (plus some for garnish).
- Drain and roughly chop the artichoke hearts. Mince the garlic. Cut the chicken breast into ½-inch pieces.
- Add the olive oil to a deep skillet or Dutch oven and heat over medium. Once hot, add the chicken pieces and sauté over medium for about 2 minutes (it will not be fully cooked at this point).
- Add the minced garlic, oregano, red pepper, and salt to the skillet with the chicken. Continue to sauté for about one minute more.
- Finally, add the artichoke hearts, uncooked rice, chicken broth, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and ½ tsp lemon zest to the skillet. Stir briefly to combine, place a lid on top, then turn the heat up to medium-high.
- Allow the broth to come up to a full boil, then turn the heat down to low or just above low to reduce the broth to a simmer. Let the chicken and rice simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid or stirring. After 15 minutes, remove the skillet from the heat and let it rest, undisturbed, for five minutes more.
- Finally, lift the lid, fluff the rice with a fork, and gently redistribute the chicken and artichoke hearts throughout the rice. Top the skillet with crumbled feta, another pinch of lemon zest, and chopped parsley (if desired). Serve hot and enjoy!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Love “one pot” rice dishes? You might also love my One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Rice! Or head to our One Pot Meals category to see all of our delicious one pot recipes.
How to Make One Pot Lemon Artichoke Chicken and Rice – Step by Step Photos
Here is everything you need to make this super simple One Pot Lemon Artichoke Chicken and Rice (all purchased from ALDI!).
Start by zesting and juicing a fresh lemon. You’ll need about 2 Tbsp lemon juice (that’s about half the lemon) and ½ tsp lemon zest, plus some for garnishing.
Drain one 12oz. jar of quartered artichoke hearts, then roughly chop them into smaller bite-sized pieces. Mince four cloves of garlic.
Cut one pound boneless, skinless chicken breast into ½-inch pieces.
Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to a large skillet or Dutch oven and heat over medium. Once hot, add the chicken pieces and sauté for about 2 minutes (the chicken will not be fully cooked at this point). Add the minced garlic, 1 tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper, and ¼ tsp salt to the skillet with the chicken. Continue to sauté for one minute more.
Add 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice, the chopped artichoke hearts, 1.5 cups chicken broth, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and ½ tsp lemon zest to the skillet.
Stir the ingredients briefly to combine.
Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and allow the broth to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low or just above low to lower the broth to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid or stirring. After 15 minutes, remove the skillet from the heat and let it rest with the lid in place for 5 more minutes.
After allowing the chicken and rice to rest for five minutes, lift the lid, fluff the rice, and gently stir to redistribute the chicken and artichokes throughout the rice. Garnish with another pinch of lemon zest and some chopped parsley, if desired.
Serve hot and enjoy!
It sounds tasty, but has anyone converted the recipe to use an instant pot to reduce the time?
So so good, but the rice took much longer to cook and much more liquid than prescribed. Not sure if that’s user error or not, but just something to be aware of! I had to add almost a full cup of extra liquid and 10 extra minutes of cook time to get the rice done.
Love this recipe! Second time making it but this time I added some capers. They really added to the flavor of the dish.
I love capers but there are only 3 recipes where I use them, so THANK you for this suggestion! I added a tablespoon rinsed, and cut a tiny bit from the salt specified in the recipe. It is GOOD!
This recipe was just as simple as it seems! I made it in my dutch oven for Canadian Thanksgiving yesterday and it was a big hit!!
I did make some changes based on the preferences of my guests…I eliminated the red pepper, cut the garlic in half, used the juice of an entire lemon, switched to fresh parsley/oregano, and generously added the chopped herbs during step 4 (without measuring).
Everyone loved it!! It was so fragrant and filled the kitchen and dining area with a wonderful aroma. We’ll definitely make this again.
Long time follower, love your recipes! I made this dish tonight (no alterations except doubling lemon juice/zest because we REALLY love lemon). It was absolutely fantastic! My husband went for seconds, and he couldn’t praise it highly enough. I’ve made a lot of your recipes over the years and I’ve been impressed every time, but I was moved to comment today because of the incredibly positive review I got from him. Thank you for this, it will definitely become a staple at my table.
This is AWESOME. The lemon, the artichoke, and the feta just make this party of acidity that I cannot stop eating. A new favorite.
Big hit with the fam! Lots of flavor, easy and great for a last minute meal!
Thanks so much for all you do!
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I loved that it was only one pot. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out wonderfully. I served it with sautéed zucchini on the side.
IF you cook in a cast iron, the dish will turn a deep blue! Still safe to eat and delicious!
I had to research your comment because the thought of a blue meal intrigued me about as much as Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham. Apparently, artichokes have a chemical reaction with iron and aluminum that makes them turn blue!
This was really delicious. I halved all the ingredients and added a drained can of chickpeas, because I love them in your Spanish rice. I cooked this in my rice cooker, and it turned out great.
Really easy and delicious!! I have always found these sorts of rice dishes where the rice is simmered in a pan with other ingredients, but this was foolproof. I made a double batch and was glad I did, it’s so simple yet satisfying. I added extra rice and broth at an appropriate ratio and it made the recipe even more budget friendly but very delicious. I found that cutting the marinated artichoke hearts with kitchen scissors worked best.
This was soooo good! I had planned it for dinner the other night, but my meeting was running late and my husband had to take over making dinner. It was the most “complicated” meal he has ever made. (It’s not really complicated, but it was the fanciest he has done.) It came out great! Wonderful flavors. We will be making it again.
I made this tonight because I had all the ingredients on hand (different brands; I have no Aldi). It was so easy and fast, which I needed today. It was great! I only made trivial changes, as I had artichoke bottoms not hearts and basamati rice, and it was flavorful and filling. The red pepper flakes were the perfect amount to add flavor but not heat. I will definitely make this again!
Beth: I love Aldi’s too! The only question I have is getting good artichoke hearts in a jar that are not stringy. Can you help we out here. Every one of your one pot recipes I have tried have been excellent and ones that I use over and over again. It is just my husband and I, so the size works out well for us. Thanks for all your effort. I really appreciate it.
Regards,
Jeanne
Artichokes, by nature, are very fibrous, so I’m not sure you can avoid that part, unfortunately. :( You might try removing any thicker leaves before chopping, to see if that helps. The inner leaves are usually very soft but they get more fibrous as you go out, so you may need to do some manual separation to get it more the way you like. :)
Thank you Beth. I’ll give it a try. I appreciate all that you do with your web page. Looking forward to many more great recipes!! God bless.
Jeanne
Hello Beth
Wondering about the artichokes you show to use. I wasn’t familiar with the brand ( don’t live in the US ) so looked it them up as well as read the ingredients which were in the jar of quartered artichoke hearts you show, which were, water and salt, yet you mentioned in response to a readers question about using frozen artichoke hearts that the “vinegar” taste would be missing if the reader used them. That led me to wonder if you might have used marinated artichokes in your recipe, not in water as depicted in your needed ingredients photo list? I have both marinated and plain artichokes in water on hand but want to be sure I’m using the right one before going ahead with your recipe.
Thanks Beth.
You can use either one. I used the artichokes that are shown in the photo. :) The salty water has a salty-briney flavor.
Thanks Beth!
Trader Joe’s has grilled artichokes packed in oil that I used for another Budget Bytes recipe and they are great.