018 / 75 · Noodles, Grains and Pantry Bakes

Chicken and Wild Rice Mushroom Bake

One 9×13 in (23×33 cm) baking dish, at least 3.5 qt/3.3 L; 6 main-dish portions · Active 40 min · Total 2 hr 10 min

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Pure wild rice has a long, pleasantly chewy grain and needs its own saucepan before it joins this chicken bake. Mushrooms are browned separately, chicken is cooked through in the skillet and a light milk sauce binds everything together. The long rice stage is included in the total, so this is a planned supper rather than a supposed half-hour shortcut.

Jump to ingredients

Hand-drawn creamy chicken, pure wild rice and mushroom hotdish.

Read the bag before choosing the clock

Use pure wild rice, not a seasoned white-rice blend carrying a similar name. The grains often need forty-five minutes to an hour of simmering; follow the packet if it asks for longer. They should be tender enough to eat, with many grains split open, before they enter the bake. Start that pan first. Keep the water at a gentle simmer and add a little of the measured reserve if the grains become exposed. Drain any water left at the end rather than pouring it into the sauce. This separates rice cooking from the liquid balance of the hotdish.

Browned mushrooms and cooked chicken do different jobs

Mushrooms need a fairly dry hot pan to develop color. Chicken needs enough time and a temperature check to become safely cooked. Treat them as separate stages instead of crowding everything into the pan at once. Cut the chicken into similar small pieces and probe several of the thickest ones. When the vegetables and sauce come together, the chicken should be fully cooked and the wild rice still hot from its saucepan. The oven finishes a warm assembled mixture, not a hidden layer of raw poultry.

Keep the shorter rice deadline

The baked pan still contains rice even though the grains look different from white rice. This collection uses the same conservative short storage policy for mixed rice dishes. Divide saved portions promptly into shallow containers, cool quickly and use within twenty-four hours of the rice’s original cooking. A second dish or fresh sauce does not add days. Reheat one saved portion once, check its center and eat immediately. Planning a batch around the actual number of eaters is more useful here than assuming the casserole can sit in the refrigerator all week.

Ingredients

  • About 1 1/2 cups pure dry wild rice (250 g), weighed because grain sizes vary
  • 5 cups water (1.2 L), for rice, plus up to 1 cup/240 ml reserve if needed
  • 1 lb 5 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 3/4-in/2-cm pieces (600 g)
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil (30 ml), divided equally between chicken and mushrooms
  • 10 oz mushrooms, sliced (280 g)
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped (150 g)
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced (100 g)
  • 1 medium carrot, cut in 1/4-in/6-mm dice (100 g prepared)
  • 2 tablespoons butter (30 g)
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (25 g)
  • 1 1/4 cups milk (300 ml)
  • 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock (180 ml)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (8 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Set out

Oven, 9×13 in (23×33 cm) baking dish, at least 3.5 qt/3.3 L, Covered rice saucepan, at least 3 qt/2.8 L, 12-in/30-cm deep skillet, Colander, Bowl, Whisk, Rimmed baking sheet, Food thermometer, Suitable foil if the topping colors before the center finishes

Allergens

Milk, Wheat, Celery; check stock labels. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Start wild rice first: rinse, put in its saucepan with 1.2 L water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently 45–60 minutes, or its packet time if longer, until tender with many grains split. Add reserve water if needed to keep it covered. Drain excess water and keep hot, covered.
  2. While rice cooks, heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and put the dish on a rimmed sheet. Heat 15 ml oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 8–10 minutes, turning, until several thick pieces reach 165°F (74°C). Transfer to a clean bowl.
  3. Add remaining 15 ml oil and mushrooms; cook 8–10 minutes until browned and their water is gone. Add onion, celery and carrot, lower heat and cook 10–12 minutes until softened. Melt butter into the vegetables. Stir in flour for 1 minute, then gradually whisk in milk and stock. Add thyme, salt and pepper and simmer 3–4 minutes until lightly thickened.
  4. Fold in hot cooked wild rice, chicken and parsley. Spread the hot mixture in the dish and cover loosely with suitable foil. Bake 20 minutes, uncover and bake 10–15 minutes more until the center and several other places reach 165°F (74°C).
  5. Rest 5 minutes, then divide into six portions.

Make the long grain visible

Fold with a broad spoon rather than stirring vigorously. A finished serving should show dark wild-rice grains, mushroom slices and chicken pieces instead of a uniformly mashed filling.

A useful detail

The 130-minute total allows preparation, the full wild-rice stage alongside skillet work and up to 35 minutes baking. Pure wild-rice products vary; add any packet cooking time beyond 60 minutes. This recipe uses freshly cooked hot rice, not previously chilled rice.

Another way

  • Use 600 g boneless skinless turkey thigh in the same-size pieces instead of chicken. Cook to 165°F (74°C) before assembly and keep the same rice policy.

Keep it well

Cool the finished rice bake quickly in small shallow portions, ideally within 1 hour of cooking, and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 24 hours of the rice’s original cooking, or an earlier ingredient deadline. Reheat rice no more than once, to 165°F (74°C) throughout, then eat immediately and discard reheated leftovers. Do not leave the full deep dish on the counter to cool. This is a fresh-serving and short-refrigeration recipe rather than a freezer-batch method.