Chicken and Wild Rice Bake

Spring may be making an appearance, but today’s temperature calls for something warm, cozy, and reliably satisfying. This chicken and wild rice bake is exactly that kind of meal—hearty enough for cooler weather, easy enough for a weeknight, and packed with enough good things that you can feel rather virtuous while going back for seconds.

It’s a true one-pot dinner, which is always appealing in my kitchen. Tender chicken provides the protein, while a wild rice blend (yes, it’s not all wild rice) adds texture, substance and healthy carbs. I use Lundberg’s Wild Blend Rice, a mix of black, brown, red, and wild rice, which brings both color and a pleasantly nutty flavor. It’s whole grain, nutrient-dense, fiber-rich, and more complex (in a good way) than plain brown rice. I also learned that wild rice is actually not rice, but an aquatic  grass. It’s a distant cousin to rice. 

Mushrooms and spinach add vegetables to the mix, and fresh rosemary and thyme make the whole dish smell like something far fancier than the effort required.

Then there is the Gruyère, which melts over the top and pulls everything together in the most comforting way. An apple adds a subtle sweetness that pairs especially well with the savory ingredients and the cheese. Don’t have one on hand? Leave it out. Dinner will still be in very good shape.

I like to make this in my Le Creuset five-quart braiser since it goes from stovetop to oven without complaint and has a nicely fitted lid, which is important while the rice cooks through. Once everything is tender, the pan heads into the oven just long enough for the cheese to melt into bubbly perfection.

Another reason to love this recipe: it freezes beautifully. It also welcomes a bit of improvisation. Change up the mushrooms, swap in another sturdy green for the spinach, and make it your own.

It was a hit here, even with Ed, who remains suspicious of how often I use mushrooms. Happily, there were leftovers, and equally happily, they reheated beautifully from the freezer. One-pot meal, easy cleanup, delicious results—hard to argue with that.

Chicken and Wild Rice Bake

Easy chicken rice bake

5 from 1 vote

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Course Main Dish

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion chopped
• 3 medium garlic cloves minced
• 8 ounces cremini (baby bella mushrooms) sliced
• 5 ounces shitake mushrooms sliced
• 1 Honeycrisp apple thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
• 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups wild rice blend see Notes
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
• 1-1/2 cups Gruyère cheese shredded (see Notes)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Garnish with 2 to 3 fresh thyme sprigs

Instructions

 

• In a 12 to 14-inch oven-safe skillet or braiser (with a tight cover), melt butter and olive over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often until the onion is soft. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute.
• Add the cremini mushrooms and shitake mushrooms, cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until the mushrooms are browned, stirring.
• Add the apple, rosemary and thyme and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Pour in 2-1/2 cups chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Stir in the rice and chicken, cover and reduce the heat to low.
• Simmer for 45 to 55 minutes or until the rice is cooked, if needed, add the remaining 1/2-1 cup stock if the rice is still a little hard.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F about 15 minutes before the rice is done.
• Remove from the pan from the heat and stir in the spinach.
• Sprinkle the cheese over the rice and transfer to the oven, uncovered. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
• Remove from the oven. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs.

Notes

• I used a Le Creuset five-quart braiser for this recipe which is ideal as it has a tight fighting lid and is oven-safe. I love this pan!
• I used Lundberg’s Wild Blend Rice (a blend of black, brown, red and wild rice). If you can’t find this, try another rice blend that contains wild rice.
• I used medium Gruyère cheese which is aged 5 months—any Gruyère will do. At Wegmans you can purchase it already grated.
• This bake freezes well. Spray a smaller freezer-safe and oven-safe dish with oil spray and transfer leftovers, ideally with the melted cheese on top. Cover in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove the dish from the freezer 15 minutes before reheating to ensure that the dish doesn’t crack in the oven (it’s a big temperature swing). Reheat at 350°F for 45 minutes covered and 10 to 15 minutes uncovered. When heated through, the internal temperature should be 165°F. If you want, add some additional cheese when you uncover the dish.

Source:  Variation of a recipe from Half-Baked Harvest