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31 Recipes to Cook in January 2026.
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The perfect winter dinner—quick, easy, colorful, and so comforting. Grainy Dijon–coated chicken is pan-seared in butter, then roasted together with orzo, carrots, celery, fresh herbs, and broth. The result is chicken-soup vibes with mustardy roasted chicken, all cooked together in one easy pot.
When I’m cooking dinner with my mom in mind, I always keep things simple—she can be a little picky. And when I really want to comfort her, I usually make something along the lines of chicken soup or a basic roasted chicken with rice.
She’s always loved chicken noodle soup more than most. When I was a kid, she could happily eat bowl after bowl all winter long. It was her favorite lunch, always with a side of air-popped popcorn.
Since I started sharing my cooking with her, she’s fallen in love with the combination of chicken and orzo. When creating this recipe, I wanted a simple mustard-roasted chicken with lemony orzo, but with extra broth so it eats almost like a cozy chicken soup.
I love a brothy orzo dish, and roasting chicken with white wine, chicken broth, and butter creates the most incredible flavor. Add in the orzo and vegetables, and suddenly it really does feel like chicken soup in a pot—with golden mustard chicken on top.
It’s easily one of the simplest dinners to make, and it’s so good served with a crusty loaf of warm ciabatta on the side.
These are the details
The Ingredients
- Dijon mustard
- whole grain mustard
- smoked paprika
- garlic powder
- crushed fennel seed
- salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
- chicken breasts or thighs
- salted butter
- an onion
- carrots
- celery
- dry orzo pasta
- fresh thyme
- white wine – try Lanark Lane Sauvignon Blanc
- broth
- lemon juice
- fresh parsley
Kitchen Tools
For this dish, you’ll need a large round Dutch oven or oval Dutch oven.
These are the steps
Step 1: Season the Chicken
In a bowl, toss the chicken with the Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, paprika, garlic powder, fennel, and a generous pinch of salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
I love adding flavor right from the very start.
Step 2: Sear the Chicken
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside while you cook the vegetables.
Step 3: Cook the Vegetables and Orzo
To the same pot, add the onions, carrots, celery, orzo, and thyme. Cook, stirring often, until the orzo is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
It should be smelling really good at this point.
Step 4: Add the Liquids
Pour in the white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken broth, season with salt and pepper, and bring everything to a boil.
Step 5: Add the Chicken Back
Nestle the chicken and any accumulated juices back into the pot. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.
Transfer the pot to the oven and bake. You want the chicken sitting on top of the orzo with plenty of broth still in the pot so everything stays nice and cozy.
Serving
When the dish comes out of the oven, finish with extra fresh thyme, parsley, or dill.
I love serving this with warm ciabatta on the side and a little grated Parmesan. It’s a true crowd-pleaser—beautiful straight from the oven and even better smelling.
Perfect for easy weeknight dinners or casual entertaining, this dish really brightens the table on a cold day!
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Lastly, if you make this One Pot Mustard Chicken and Orzo, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Mustard Chicken and Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 437 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
- salt and black pepper
- chili flakes
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup white wine I use Lanark Lane Sauvignon Blanc
- 4 cups broth
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425°F.2. Toss chicken with both mustards, paprika, garlic powder, fennel seed, salt, pepper, and chili flakes.3. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Remove.4. Add onions, carrots, celery, orzo, and thyme. Cook until orzo is toasted, 2 minutes. Add wine, then broth; season with salt & pepper and bring to a boil.5. Return chicken and juices to the pot. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Bake uncovered 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Serve with fresh thyme.
Notes
I really like using Lanark Lane Sauvignon Blanc from our HBH Collection. This Sauvignon Blanc is bright, zesty, and vibrant — the acidity and citrus notes will cut through the richness of the mustard and butter in your chicken dish while complementing the lemony orzo and herbs beautifully. Its food-friendly nature makes it perfect for a one-pot dinner with broth and herbs.
This post was originally published on January 14, 2026
I absolutely love almost everything I’ve made from Half Baked Harvest. Even the non favorites were still quite good. This one is just missing something. I used all ingredients as instructed and it still was just off. Pretty bland, not much flavor at all, and what little flavor they’re was just wasn’t great. I won’t be saving this one but I’ll always be back!
Hey Krissi,
Thanks so much for making this dish and so many others! I’m so sorry to hear this one wasn’t a fave!
Another delicious meal, many thanks for all of these free recipes. I have read some of the comments and find it rather incredulous that people feel the need to criticize or correct you. SMH.
Aww, thanks so much, Alison:) So glad you enjoyed this dish, I appreciate you making it! Have a great Tuesday!
I love this delicious and easy to throw together recipe! The flavour was warming, as was the whole dish for these long drawn out freezing snowy winter evenings. I made rosemary focaccia which was perfect accompaniment to soak up the broth. Someone mentioned using farro so I did a mix of farro and orzo and it worked well. This is a keeper!
Hey Jane,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and taking the time to comment. So glad it was a winner!
The chicken was delicious with lots of flavor. But unfortunately the orzo and veggies were missing something. Not sure I would make again.
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, very sorry to hear you didn’t love it!
My wife is obsessed! I have left out the fennel every time I’ve made it as I’m not a huge fan, but it’s still incredibly warming and delicious. I buy a pre-chopped mirepoix mix when I’m low energy, and that makes this a really stunning meal for very low cooking effort. This is absolutely entering our regular winter meal rotation!
Hey Kit,
Awesome! So glad this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Happy Monday!
Delicious flavors in this dish. It is yummy comfort food with a hunk of real bead. Thanks for sharing! I will add it to my rotation of cozy dinners!💗
Hi Jane,
Awesome! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
I made this but swapped farro instead of orzo because of preference. It was soo good!! Will definitely be making again.
Hey Elissa,
Thanks for giving this recipe a whirl, I’m so glad it turned out nicely. Have a great Thursday!
The flavour of this dish is outstanding! Had it for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I wish I had followed your advice to have crusty bread with it. I’ll definitely be having it again.
Hey Joy,
Wonderful! Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
There is a disconnect between your cooking time of 40 min, after you have cooked the vegetables and orzo in step 4 and step 5 where chicken goes back in the pot and it goes in the oven for 15 min. Is step 4 cooking time of about 20 to 25 minutes?
Hi James,
Sorry for any confusion! It’s just 15 minutes in step 5. Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
I’m a fan of Half Baked Harvest all around, but this flavor profile was not for me. I think it might be the fennel and celery together? I still have my favorites from you though : )
Hi Jessica,
Thank you so much for trying this dish and so many others, I am so sorry to hear this was not enjoyed!
I stared at this recipe, read the reviews and stared at the recipe again. With the expense of everything today, I was a little hesitant, but I loved all the ingredients, so I went for it. I am soooo glad I did. I 100% loved this dish. It’s comforting and bright and really quite delicious. The slight crunch to the veg provides so much texture. I felt like I was sitting in a Greek café. For the life of me, I don’t understand the low scores. Did they forget the lemon? It is key for the brightness. Regardless, I highly recommend. Thank you for a delightful recipe!!
Thanks so much, Brenna:) I am so glad to hear this dish turned out well for you. I appreciate all of your notes and feedback!
Have a great Sunday!