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!
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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!
Do you think this would hold up with cubed tempeh? maybe using marinated artichokes and letting the tempeh marinate in the artichoke juice?
Interesting idea! I’ve never tried anything like that, so I’m not sure how it would taste.
I decided to separate the components – making chicken souvlaki accompanied by the lemon artichoke rice. I used my rice cooker and it worked perfectly for this. The flavor is delicious. This will be a meal I will enjoy again and again. It’s easy enough for a busy night (especially if you use the rice cooker), but I’d serve it to company. A winner.
I tweaked the recipe a bit. I used about a pound-and-a-half of chicken and added chickpeas and an onion that I needed to use up. I used a whole large lemon for both zest and juice (definitely glad I did). I didn’t have oregano so I used Italian herbs and added a bit of rosemary, black pepper and summer Savory, and I didn’t use the red pepper as I’m not a fan of any level of spicy and just don’t keep it in my pantry. Finally, I subbed herbed chèvre for the feta garnish, again, because I needed to use it up; it was a dynamite bite of flavor on the lemony base of the dish. It was just delicious! I’d try this again but probably omit the onion so it comes out a little less wet and sticky.
I need to use an onion that’s started sprouting; how do you think that will be in this recipe? (I also won’t be using the red pepper flakes.)
Yes, I think that would incorporate into this recipe well. :)
Quick and super easy but felt more like a side dish. I did sub chicken for chickpeas, but otherwise the only change I made was adding more feta.
Usually Beth’s recipes are AMAZING and this one was pretty good, but I’m not in a hurry to make it again when there are so many I really love. Might work well as a rice side dish?
I think if you browned the chicken separate and put it on top of the rice, it might seem more like a main dish? Serve with a green salad and you’re golden
I’d like to use brown rice instead of white. It takes more time and liquid to cook. I can easily add more broth. I think the chicken might overcook in the time it takes for brown rice. What seems like the easiest way to approach that?
Take the chicken out of the pan after sauteing and add it back near the end?
I followed the recipe exactly and my rice was a little undercooked, any idea why?
I used a 6qt Dutch oven, was it maybe too big?
There could be a few reasons. Having a big pot shouldn’t be an issue as long as the burner is close in size to the bottom of the pot (if it’s too small, the outer edges might not get hot enough). Another reason might be that the heat wasn’t high enough to keep the rice simmering after the heat is turned down. Depending on your burner and cookware combo, sometimes that heat level needs to be adjusted slightly to make sure it stays simmering. And just to verify, you were using long grain white rice, correct?
Very nice Recipe I will definitely try this ….
This is missing from the artichoke recipe index, just FYI!
Thank you! Fixing it now. :)
What could you substitute for the white rice?
Made a version of this with the technique from your Creamy Chicken and Rice Skillet (used more broth and stirred often so it got all creamy and risotto-y). Turned out awesome! Had a little extra heavy cream, so I added that as well, but it didn’t need it!
Could you make this with quinoa instead of rice? Would the proportions change of grain to chicken broth ratio?
The proportions might change, yes, but unfortunately I’d have to test it to find out for sure.
very good , This is AWESOME. The lemon, the artichoke, and the feta, Thanks such a huge amount for everything you do!
What if one were to swap out the chicken breasts for boneless, skinless chicken thighs that could withstand the longer cooking time?:
Yep, thighs hold up to longer cooking better because they have more fat and don’t dry out as easily. :)
Great formula of The lemon, the artichoke, and the feta, Thank you.
Can this dish be made with brown rice that takes longer to cook? How would you adjust the recipe?
It would be tricky and I’d need to test it out first because when you add so much cooking time for the rice you risk over cooking the chicken.
Thanks for responding. That’s what I figured. I plan to try it this week. I think I will mostly cook the rice and chicken separate though, then somehow throw everything together toward the end of the rice cooking time.
This recipe looks delicious and I’m going to try it tonight with Trader Joe’s quick cooking brown rice!
Thank you !
Love this formula! This is AWESOME. The lemon, the artichoke, and the feta, Thanks such a huge amount for everything you do!
It’s unclear to me, for the rice cooker instructions do you mean don’t cook anything on the stove, and just put it all in the rice cooker?
I would just put it all in the rice cooker. :)