Chicken Wild Rice Casserole

Photo of the girls!


I started this blog initially as reference for how we make food now that we are gluten free. This is one of our "plain" standard meals. It works well for families.

Ingredients:

½ cup wild rice
1 cup brown rice
1 (maybe more) frozen vegetables
(corn, carrots, cut green beans, peas)
½ cup cut mushrooms
½ red onion
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (check to make sure gluten free if enhanced with chicken broth)
Chicken broth
Bay leaves
Thyme
Pepper
Garlic Salt

White Sauce:

2 tablespoons Corn Starch
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1.5 cups milk
½ lb Cheese (your choice – we used cheddar)

Directions:

1. Boil wild rice. Check the package for ratios. Mine was ½ cup wild rice to 1.5 cups water. This should start first because it takes the longest to cook. ~40-50 minutes.

2. Pot boiling water with bay leaves, thyme and salt (in proportions you see fit – I put in roughly two bay leaves, a half teaspoon of thyme and a “pinch” of salt). Poach chicken in water. ~ 15-20 minutes.

3. Start frying up onions chopped tiny with ½ teaspoon unsalted butter. Put in mushroom with onions after 5 minutes in frying pan on medium heat – not so many mushrooms that they pile on each other – add 2 tablespoon chicken broth. ~10 minutes.

4. Take onions and mushrooms out and place in bowl. Cook vegetables in same pan as the mushrooms and onions. Add 2 tablespoons chicken broth, pinch garlic salt, pinch pepper. ~ 5-10 minutes. Finished place in same bowl as mushrooms and onions. Take chicken off if it is ready, cut it up in small bits and place same bowl.

5. When the timer for the wild rice shows 20 minutes. Start brown rice in pot with chicken broth instead of water. Check package for rations – mine is 1 cup brown rice for 2.5 chicken broth. ~ 15 minutes.

6. Once the rice is done place all ingredients in one large casserole dish (this is going to be enough for a family of four for two nights). Start white sauce.

White Sauce:

1. Start melting in a pot one tablespoon on med/low heat unsalted butter.

2. While this is melting mix two table spoons corn starch into 1 cup milk.

3. Once butter is melted add in milk with corn starch slowly stirring. As it thickens add the rest of the milk – should be ½ cup left.

4. Start adding in your choice cheese. We use whatever is on hand – happened to be mild cheddar. A couple handfuls are enough – probably ½ pound.

5. Once the cheese has fully melted into the white sauce and it has thickened to your liking pour into casserole dish mix ingredients – sprinkle a hand full of cheese on top and pop in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. When the topping has browned a pinch it is ready.

Woohoo. That is our wild rice casserole. It is heavy and the kids only eat it if there is no wild rice – apparently dark rice scares them. It is not impressive, but it is gluten free, it has vegetables in it and it is in place of our old macaroni and cheese recipe. Next time I make it I will pay closer attention to amounts so that I can come back and adjust this recipe for accuracy.