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This is one of the ways I like to use the chicken I cook when I make stock. It’s so simple to put together – really only 30 minutes of active time and 30 minutes to finish baking. And, it’s one of Joe’s favorites. He even likes it after it’s been frozen and reheated which says a lot for a man who doesn’t eat leftovers.
Naturally gluten-free and sugar-free, this is a great recipe for anyone new the diet. I do use heavy cream, though I don’t think that it’s excessive as it serves so 6 to 8, maybe more. Split a cup of cream eight ways and you end up with two tablespoons each – most people use more than that in one cup of coffee. I like to serve this with a big green salad and steamed or roasted veggies. If you don’t eat dairy, I’m sure coconut milk would work although I haven’t tried it.
I use brown rice because it’s so much healthier than white rice, but if you want to use white rice there’s no need to bake it first for 30 minutes. Brown rice takes longer to cook. Cremini mushrooms (a.k.a. Baby Bellas) have a much meatier flavor than regular white mushrooms, which is why I like them. I always have them on hand and use them in everything from cooking to salads.
I adapted this from Rachel Ray’s magazine, which I thought I didn’t like. I happen to get more magazines than any one person could ever read. I’m sure I shoved her magazines to the bottom of my ever-growing piles and didn’t look at it until recently. The editor’s son is gluten intolerant and is very sensitive to that in her recipes. Her magazine is brimming with incredible food ideas that I’ve been able to easily adapt to my kitchen. I’ve been converted and am now an official Rachel Ray fan.
What are some of your families favorites? Let’s talk about it.
This recipe is adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray.
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups good chicken stock
- 1 ½ cups brown rice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 large leeks
- 12 ounces cremini (Baby Bella) mushrooms, sliced thickly
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- meat from one whole chicken, shredded in large chunks
- 1 cup homemade chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup heavy cream, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place chicken stock in a microwave proof container and bring to a boil. Alternatively, put it in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Rinse brown rice and then spread in the bottom of a 3 quart casserole dish. Pour boiling stock on top of rice and cover tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil. Place casserole on a large baking sheet and put into preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut leeks in half and then slice them ¼ inch thick. Place in a large bowl, fill with water, swirl with your hand several times and then let them rest. Any dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl. Then, using your hands, move leeks to a colander or salad spinner to drain.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté until soft, about 5 – 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and salt. Sauté for another 8 minutes or until mushrooms are soft but not overcooked. Stir in chicken and chicken broth, bring to a low simmer and cook for several minutes.
- Put cornstarch in a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of cream and mix to make a slurry. Set aside. Add remaining cream and ground white pepper to chicken mixture and cook for several minutes while stirring. Add slurry and cook for another 3 or 5 minutes until it thickens. Remove from heat.
- Once rice has baked for 30 minutes, remove from oven and spoon chicken mix evenly over the top. Cover tightly again (use towels to avoid burns) and return to the oven for another 25 to 30 minutes until liquid has been absorbed and it’s bubbly around the edges.
- Remove foil, add parmesan cheese, and return to the oven until cheese melts and has browned in places.
Lauren
posted on October 1, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Yum! This sounds delicious =D. I love brown rice, and anything with mushrooms is sure to be a favourite with mom!
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Alta
posted on October 2, 2009 at 8:52 am
This does sound yummy, although, I’m not sure we can be friends if you’re a Rachel Ray fan! (just kidding) I’m sure you can use coconut milk in place of cream, I’ve been doing that a lot lately in recipes, and everything turns out beautifully!
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Amy Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:08 am
I didn’t want to like her but I can’t help myself – her food mag is FABULOUS and so is her editor.
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Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen
posted on October 2, 2009 at 1:32 pm
This is a perfect thing for me to make with that brown rice in the freezer! This looks yummy and comforting.
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Amy Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
I think that’s why Joe loves it so much – definitely a man’s meal
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Monica
posted on October 3, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Oh my, this looks like a perfect meal for a fall evening. I look forward to serving this to my family. I use whole chickens a lot. I get a lot for the money out of a whole chicken! I love using the meat and broth to make wonderful soups and casseroles. I would love the mushrooms! Do you have any suggestions in case my kids don’t like them?
Thanks! I am really enjoying your blog:)
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Amy Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Leave the mushrooms out. I think you could also cook any vegetable part way and then add the chicken in just like you would for any casserole. Or, make two bakes and put mushrooms in one and something else in the other. This is really so simple and versatile you can really be as creative as you want and put anything that sounds good to you in it. I use leeks because Joe loves them but regular yellow or white onions would work just fine.
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Tiffany S.
posted on October 8, 2009 at 11:25 am
OH YUM! I cannot wait to try this. Perfect Sunday night dinner!
So funny about the magazines…I cut WAY back but find myself ramping back up. I can’t live without Sunset, and I really like Clean Eating. I asked for subscriptions for Christmas so that makes an easy gift for people. Then after a year I can decide if it’s worth paying for myself.
I’m going to try this dish with our asian rice combos and I’ll let you know how it works out.
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Amy Reply:
October 8th, 2009 at 11:40 am
I love my magazines. Nice to meet another junkie.
Can’t wait to hear how you like this with your asian rice combos.
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SnoWhite
posted on December 1, 2009 at 6:17 pm
this looks like it will be making an appearance on our menu soon! so nice to know you can freeze it too!!
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Amy Reply:
December 1st, 2009 at 9:58 pm
@SnoWhite, Let me know what you think! Joe says he can eat it every night of the week.
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Rikki
posted on December 8, 2009 at 5:43 pm
This was sooo good!!! I made it tonight for my family. The kids didn’t eat much but they don’t eat much of anything. My husband and I loved it. I will definitely be making it again. Thanks!
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Chari
posted on December 10, 2009 at 5:10 am
This looks delicious. I’m always looking for good recipes to put in the freezer. At what point in the preparation would you freeze this?
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Amy Reply:
December 10th, 2009 at 8:33 am
@Chari, I put precooked rice in the bottom of the dish, make the chicken, mushroom, & leek topping and put that on top of the rice. Once it’s cooled I wrap it and freeze it. I’ve even baked it partly frozen with no problem at all.
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SnoWhite
posted on December 12, 2009 at 5:35 pm
my hubby took the first bite and said, “man, this is good”
thanks!!!
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Morgan
posted on December 22, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Made this last night and the whole family loved it! The girls did pick out most of the mushrooms but they ate all the rest and Lyla said, “more!” when her bowl was empty
I will definitely make this over and over!
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Cara
posted on April 14, 2010 at 5:21 pm
I made this for the first time tonight. It was so good that I had to make myself leave the table so I’d stop eating! Thanks for posting this delicious recipe!
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Jen
posted on October 5, 2010 at 10:12 pm
I made this for dinner tonight and it was SOOOOOO GOOOOOD. I am happy as a clam! The only thing I didn’t do was I thought I had Texmati rice in the pantry and didn’t so I ended out using Sushi rice. BUT it was really good! Thank You for the recipe! I think next time I may add some spinach. This is a great recipe for personalization!
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Amy Reply:
October 6th, 2010 at 10:18 am
@Jen, Thanks for coming back to let me know. My husband loves this dish. It’s easy to make ahead and freeze, too. Just add some liquid when reheating. I love the spinach idea, Jen. I’m a spinach fiend…not sure why it never crossed my mind. Hugs.
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KH
posted on March 31, 2011 at 12:31 pm
I don’t know what I did wrong but after an entire hour in the oven my rice was only half cooked and the liquid wasn’t even close to absorbed.
I ended up pouring the whole mixture into a pan and boiling for another 25 min to get the rice to an edible consistency. (I would have left it longer but we were 30-60 min past our normal dinner time and my pregnant self couldn’t take it any longer!) By that point, much of the flavor was lost.
I think this recipe has potential but I’ll be pre-cooking my rice and using less liquid in the chicken portion next time I try something like this.
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Amy Reply:
May 29th, 2011 at 3:49 pm
@KH, It sounds you either didn’t add boiling stock to the rice before putting it in the oven or you the foil on the baking container wasn’t really tight and the steam escaped. It totally works…and it’s so simple.
Hugs,
Amy
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Alison
posted on October 12, 2011 at 9:06 pm
This was HANDS DOWN the best casserole I have ever made!! I had made a few substitutions to my preferences (quinoa instead of rice, green onions intead of leeks, organic chicken thighs instead of whole chicken). It came out very light and fluffy and gave feeling of full. I enjoyed how I could taste each ingredient in each bite. Thank you for continually inspiring my gluten free recipes!
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Amy Reply:
October 13th, 2011 at 8:53 am
@Alison, It sounds great! Did you use the same quantity of green onions? Just trying to get a feel for your variation as they’re much stronger than leeks.
Hugs,
Amy
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JulieAFLeck
posted on January 21, 2012 at 7:45 am
I realized as I started this recipe I used the last of my brown rice w a slow cooker Chinese lemon chicken recipe the night before
But my husband suggested a pasta, so I fully cooked the whole 8ox box of Ancient Harvest Quinoa Rotelle (only 9 minutes after rolling boiling). Followed the rest of your recipe to the T, then noodles into the dish, 3/4 cup of room temp broth, poured the chicken mix on top, into the over for 20 minutes with foil, then parm on top, 10 minutes uncovered, and perfect!!! Cut the time in half (although in would have preferred the brown rice, i was happy w the nutritional trade w/quinoa pasta).
This is one I’ll bring to pot lucks and not even mentions its gluten free!
(P.S. I didn’t find where in the recipe to add the white pepper, but I assumed tossing it into the end of the chicken mix cooking?)
Love your book, love this sight-you’re such a part of my process nowadays
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Amy Reply:
February 2nd, 2012 at 4:00 pm
@JulieAFLeck, Thanks so much for sharing your variation, Julie. So glad you enjoy my book and blog. You made me smile. I’ll update the white pepper so it’s accurate in the recipe.
Hugs,
Amy
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