It’s cold and rainy here in the Northeast once again, which is hard to believe considering that it was seventy-degrees and sunny just two days ago. But, I guess that was just a teaser of things to come. For now, we’re staying indoors and dreaming of comfort food.

But, it’s Saturday so who really wants to cook? You could get take out but who wants to go outside on this bleak and murky day? Even Remy is refusing to step outside the house. If you’re like me, you’d much rather curl up on the couch with a good book or someone warm.

This one dish meal is the answer to your dinner prayers. Juicy, tender, herby chicken and perfectly cooked wild rice, all roasted in one dish to perfection while you nap.

What You’ll Need

A few simple ingredients, which you may already have on hand, in addition to the following easy to find items are all you’ll need.

Spatchcock chicken – Try saying that ten times fast. I dare you! All kidding aside, this is nothing more than a chicken that’s been pressed flat after having it’s backbone removed. Simply put, it’s a butterflied chicken. I can usually find this type of bird in my local supermarket. If you don’t find one, just get a regular roaster and ask the butcher to butterfly it for you. But whatever you do, make sure to keep it’s legs crossed. We’re modest girls here.

Wild Rice Blend – Because it can be pricey on its own, you’ll typically find wild rice in a blend along with brown rice. This is fine. Both brown rice and wild rice have similar chewy, nutty, earthy flavors that pair beautifully and take a similar amount of time to cook. Wild rice blends are easy to find on most supermarket shelves. If you can’t get a hold of one, feel free to use plain brown rice instead.

Sliced (or slivered) Almonds – Toasted lightly and added to the rice after it’s done cooking adds a nice crunchy texture to the pilaf.

Dried Cherries (or cranberries) – sweet, tart dried cherries are a perfect contrast to the otherwise savory ingredients and blend in beautifully in this dish. If dried cherries aren’t readily available, by all means use dried cranberries. You can also get creative and try other dried fruit such as apricots. I bet that would be delicious as well.

Chicken Broth – This is the liquid that helps the rice to cook (in addition to the chicken drippings). Although I prefer a homemade broth but, let’s be honest, who has time to make it. Store bought broth will work just fine, but I recommend using a low sodium variety as that allows you to control the amount of salt in this dish.

White Wine – The wine is added to the chicken broth while cooking the rice. Use any white wine that you have on hand or that you’d like to drink (this is an excuse to pop open a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner). I used my favorite Sauvignon Blanc which worked perfectly. I think that the wine adds a bit of depth to the overall flavor but, if you prefer to skip it, you can easily substitute it with an equal amount of chicken broth.

Why This Works

If you’ve never had a spatchcock chicken then you’re in for a treat. When roasting a regular chicken the breast will cook faster than the thighs which means that the breast is often dried out by the time the thighs are done. When a chicken is butterflied, all the meat is laid out on one flat surface, which means that everything cooks to perfection in the same (and shorter) amount of time. A faster and more even cooking experience results in a juicier outcome. And, because more of the skin is exposed, it crisps up beautifully every time. I haven’t even mentioned that this makes for an easier carving experience.

Then there’s the rice. Wild rice generally takes longer to cook than white rice but ironically, it will roast to perfection in the same amount of time that it takes this chicken to roast. This rice would be delicious on it’s own but when combined with the salty, yummy chicken drippings, onions, white wine and chicken broth, it’s elevated to a whole a new level. Then with the addition of toasted almonds and sweet dried cherries, this pilaf will delight even the pickiest of eaters.

And here’s a fun fact, wild rice has less calories, fat and carbs than both brown and white rice. so, in addition to being delicious, it’s actually good for. you.

Why You’ll Love It

Simple, healthy, juicy, herby chicken combined with richly flavorful wild rice pilaf studded with tart cherries and toasted almonds all cooked in one pan. Dump everything into a roasting dish (don’t even bother tucking the wings under the chicken) cover it, shove it in the oven and forget about it. And because it cooks in under two hours it’s the perfect weeknight (or lazy weekend) meal that you can feel good about serving to your family.

You can even serve it all in the roasting pan which saves you cleaning time and effort. Woohoo!!!

Minimal time spent in the kitchen and a beautiful presentation also makes this a perfect dish for company. Why would you want to slave over a stove all day when you can be totally rested and relaxed when you open the door to your guests, then watch them be mesmerized by the amazing aroma wafting from your kitchen.

What’s not to love?