This recipe has single-handedly saved me and brought me back to life at least twice in the past two weeks. And maybe even more times than that when I consider the handful of lunches I would have found myself standing empty-handed at the refrigerator, with just a few minutes to make something meaningful. (Not to mention the other two eaters in the house and their deep adoration for delicious-rice-at-the-ready.)
The first time was Monday t we needed an easy, cozy meal to serve friends coming over for an impromptu kiddo-romp + dinner; my hands were tied with work up until it was practically time to eat, and yet we needed something gluten-free, kid-friendly and basically hands-off. Because it’s me, chicken nuggets for the kids + wine for the adults was not a sufficient solution. (Le sigh.)
The second time was today, when I was stocking the fridge for my men so they would have plenty of meal options while I’m away in Santa Barbara, cooking for some of my favorite women on bikes this week. Solo-parenting is hard enough. Not to mention solo-parenting a child with food sensitivities vast enough that your take-out options are non-existent, and your personal chef is out of town. I forgot a few personal self care measures on this trip, but I did NOT forget to make this One-Pot Chicken with Brussels + Caramelized Lemon, so we can add a few more days to the list of those saved by this humble little chicken.
It’s a perennial recipe, one that I’m sure I’ll continue to tweak + adore for years to come and so it deserves a place in this space, with all of it’s humble excellence.
By now you know that I’m a woman who L O V E S her InstantPot. But, ya know, sometimes we just don’t feel like having soup, or stew, or kitchari, or congee.
And yet, there are few things that make me feel so complete, so accomplished, so well-cared for as a single pot of dinner, DONE (or practically done) in my kitchen when it’s time for me to fling off my working-mama hat and don the fun-energetic-mama hat as the evening hours wane. This little simple chicken-and-rice is all of that, but more.
It’s a classic example of a holistic recipe in disguise; simple, seasonal ingredients, parading around like something that your mother or grandmother might make, but chock full of excellence an empowered, perspecacious human of these times WANTS to eat. Because it’s slow living (in the true, lifestyle way – not just the aesthetic way.) It’s well-within your culinary skill-set (no matter how low or high the bar,) AND it has all sorts of tiny, hidden value propositions that you know you need.
Bonus that while it cooks, it fills the house with those cozy smells that transmit the message to everyone that the ease + comfort quotients are on the up. Delivering a single, hug-of-a-pot to the table and sinking a serving spoon into the caramelized, creamy rice, only to fish out tender brussels, the juiciest chicken, and maybe a few little caramely-sweet lemon slices (if you’re lucky) is a special kind of self-care.
Yes! Lest we forget that there aren’t any goods, or bads, when it comes to foods, nourishment and substances in Ayurveda. What we’re after is whole, simple, delicious food filled with flavor, love and joy and this mos def fits the bill.
Poultry, and the bone broth recommended in this recipe, are amply grounded and lightening to keep the energy of vata dosha in check + the kapha energy lifted and light through these cold winter months, which is when I recommend that you make this chicken + rice meal. Unlike creamy, heavy, digestively complicated meals (think: bolognese, lasagne, a casserole of pretty much any type,) this simple, broth based dish is a comforting epiphany. The charge to keep these two energies groundedis to enjoy nutritionally dense foods, with plenty of fat and protein, and to keep these foods relatively light. Sound like a conundrum? Only because we have the hypothetical example of eating salads all winter long, which feel light and nourishing in mind but are actually pretty empty when it comes right down to it.
While a one-pot chicken might not sound light, the meal provides levity in the freshness and brightness of the lemon, and the simplicity of the ingredients, and a comparative lightness . There aren’t many extras here – just exceptional flavor from great ingredients, changed and morphed by the time and care it takes to cook each one properly (instead of, say, just dumping them all into an InstantPot – foot in mouth.)
Did I mention that this easy, weeknight meal is also already woven with the Six Flavors? You’re welcome.
Doesn’t need much introduction, really. You’ll need a few simple ingredients, a great chef’s knife and board, and 20 minutes before your stove searing and browning things off. Then, you combine it all in the pot and pop it into the oven to simmer + steam for another 30 minutes. This is when you tell everyone in your home that you’re “making dinner!” and actually take care of the other less-high-priority things that you’ve been meaning to take care of all day but didn’t get to because there was a tiny person hanging on you, a phone call or eight you needed to make….you get me. Or, maybe you just scroll social media – both are wonderful uses of this sliver of personal time you’ve carved out for yourself — use them as you wish!
I’ve gotten myself into a well-worn groove over the past months of putting aside all of my work projects + obligations about 5:30pm, and diving into dinner prep. This gives me about 45 minutes to gather myself and make something happen – often from a fridge + pantry of raw-but-pre-considered ingredients…and this one-pot chicken fits beautifully into that little time slot and this, among the caramelized lemon, and nourishing brothy rice, are just some of the reasons I love this meal this time of year.
Oh! You will need a dutch oven to do the job and no, another random pot won’t cut it. I recently picked up a second 5-quart pot (so all of my sourdough loaves could bake at once!) and it was a perfect vessel to make this delicious, comforting mid-week meal.
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