Spring Chicken and Rice

The citrusy tang of lemon paired with the earliness of dill just scream spring. Pair those flavors with a veggie loaded rice.  Place it all in one dish with some cost-efficient leg quarts and you get a meal the whole family will love.  Spring Chicken and Rice is just that dish!

Am I the only one at the end of the week has a little bit of this and a little bit of that in the fridge?  You know just under enough of everything to make a meal.  Are you afraid to add them all together?

Well don’t! Sometimes that everything and the kitchen sink meals are the best most comforting meals you will ever make.

That is how the rice in this chicken and rice came to be.   And let me stress that you do not need all these veggies and if you don’t like Brussel sprouts just don’t add them or you can substitute it for something you like.  It is a very versatile dish it is all about what you like you add, as well as a use what you got kind of dish.

This paired with leg quarts makes this a very affordable dish. But wait there is more!! This is a make ahead one dish meal.  Yes! You read all that right, versatile, affordable, make ahead, one dish meal.  This mama is screaming win!

I typically will discuss what I do to build the dish but I think today I will just skip to the recipe so you can see it for yourself!

One side note:  I did sauté the veggies before stirring in the rice.  This brings out the flavors and sweetens the onions if you want to skip this step feel free but know the flavor may be different.  But if you like it who cares!

Want more one pot wonders?

Spring Lemon Chicken and Rice

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 465kcal

Simple delicious make-ahead weeknight meal to satisfy the whole family! 

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 Chicken Leg Quarts
• 1 tbsp salted butter
• ¼ lb Brussels sprouts
• ½ zucchini quartered and chopped
• ½ yellow squash quartered and chopped
• ¼ lb grape tomatoes
• 1 small yellow onion chopped
• 2 radishes chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 ½ cup jasmine rice
• ½ tsp salt and pepper
• 1 lemon zested/ half juiced/ half sliced
• 2 tbsp fresh dill weed chopped
• 3 cups veggie stock

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a large skillet sautee Brussel sprouts, zucchini, yellow squash, grape tomatoes, yellow onion, radishes, and garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until veggies soften.  
• Turn off heat and stir in 1 tbsp dill, the lemon zest, rice with the veggies. 
• In a large well-greased casserole dish pour the veggie rice mixture.  Lay leg quarts on top of the rice veggie mixture.  Pour lemon juice on top the leg quarts, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle remaining 1 tbs dill over chicken and lay lemon slices on top of the leg quarts. 
• Pour veggie stock into the casserole dish with all the other ingredients.  Cover and place in oven for 45 minutes. 
• After 45 minutes remove the cover (if the liquid is gone and rice still looks not fully cooked add 1/2 cup water or stock)  and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes until chicken is golden brown. 
• Remove from oven allow to rest for 10 minutes then serve and enjoy! 

Notes

Cooking time may very depending on size of leg quarts and altitude.  Internal temp should be 165 degrees Fahrenheit

Rice cook and texture may very depending on brand of rice you are using.  This recipe is not for instant minute rice.  

 

Nutrition

Calories: 465kcal

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