Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with Mushrooms
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Mushrooms and hearty grains go together for me like peas and carrots. Except an earthy mushroom pilaf or something similar is way better than peas and carrots, of course.
The other day I got a craving for a homey, creamy casserole. And I really wanted wild rice. I sometimes get weird cravings.
This recipe is similar to ones you may have had from the Campbell’s site, but doesn’t use any processed ingredients. Instead of canned condensed soup, herbed chicken broth is thickened with a little flour, and milk is added in to make it a touch creamier. The mixture is combined with wild rice, brown rice, and chicken for a hearty meal. It tastes great, and you can feel good about eating it, too.
This dinner does take a bit of time to make, particularly since wild rice takes a while to cook. But, it’s definitely easy to pull together, and you can assemble it the night before you bake it. I did just that. If you’ve made soups and stews with rice and pasta before, you know they tend to absorb excess liquid in the fridge. So, the next day before baking, I poured about 1/4 cup of broth over the top of the casserole to combat any dryness. You don’t need to do this if you baking the casserole right after assembling it.
Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with Mushrooms
1/2 cup wild rice
1/2 cup brown rice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. boneless/skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded
2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 large leek, sliced
1/2 tsp. minced rosemary
1 tsp. minced thyme
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/8 tsp. dried sage
1/4 cup sherry
3 Tbsp. flour
1.5 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup milk (or half and half or cream)
2 Tbsp. breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
cooking spray oil
Bring a large pot with 5-6 qts. of water to a boil. Place the wild rice in a mesh strainer and rinse with cold water for about 30 seconds. Add the rice to the boiling water.
After 15 minutes, rinse the brown rice in the same manner and add to the same pot (you are not removing the wild rice). Simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the rice and then put it back into the pot; cover with the lid. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. [I like to roast chicken to use for this dish during this time.]
Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a 2 qt. baking dish with spray oil.
Add the butter to the same pan you used to cook the chicken. Once melted, stir in the mushrooms and leeks. Cook until the mushrooms are tender and the moisture from the mushrooms has been evaporated. Stir in the rosemary, thyme, parsley, and sage. Then, add the sherry to the pan. Deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits and cook until sherry is nearly evaporated.
Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and then cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir until thickened. Pour in the milk and cook until warmed through and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Combine the mushroom/broth mixture with the rice and chicken (and any accumulated juices). Pour into the baking dish.
Mix the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl with a few turns of cracked pepper, and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Spray with cooking oil.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Looks great and definitely sounds very tasty too! Glad you made sure there were no processed ingredients, because natural food is always so much better. While the wild rice might take a bit longer to cook, I think it’s worth it when you want to make such a “feel good” meal, and it’s a recipe I would certainly try!
Can I tell you how much I adore your comfort foods? Seriously delicious! I am so making this on the weekend!
Mmmm, I love chicken and rice casseroles, but not the processed kind. The delicious from scratch kind. And the wild rice sounds perfect!
I love the casserole feel of food and definitely crave it! Though I refuse to use any of those cream of soups anymore…homemade is WAY better!
Agreed-Much better than Peas and Carrots! Great twist to a classic dish.
-Shannon
looks delish! will try. I’ve tried making something similar but a bit softer- bordering gooey by adding water in batches so it never really completely runs dry =) check it out >>http://thebeeinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2012/03/smoked-salmon-and-wild-mushroom-risotto.html
<3 the beeinthekitchen
I want to let everyone know how much I enjoyed this recipe. I made a few substitutions (dried herbs, onion instead of leek) and had a trouble with my chicken sticking to the pan and forgot the milk, but it still turned out great 🙂 Thanks, Elly!
Glad you liked it, Lia.
Just made this and it is wonderful! I have no cooking skills and I was still able to pull this together. I’m going to recommend this to my mother and sisters. So much better than a processed meal. Thanks! 🙂
I’m so happy to hear you liked it!
Elly! This was awesome!!! And I cooked it all in my Le Creuset pot, so not too much cleanup for my hubby 🙂 I even puréed some for my 9 month old and she loved it too! Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it, Angie!
This is actually now a family favorite. We make it all the time at home, and my friends are always asking for the recipe!
That’s awesome to hear, Brittany. 🙂