| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 cups extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 8 ounces)
- 2 cups homemade chicken stock or canned reduced-fat low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups 2-percent or whole milk
- 1 bay leaf, preferably fresh
- 1 thyme sprig
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved, or 6 boneless skinless thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 pound broccoli crown, chopped into small florets
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the panko and half of the cheese. Set aside.
- Heat the stock, milk, bay leaf and thyme in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until steaming. Keep warm while you prepare the vegetables. (You can skip infusing the liquid with the herbs if you like, but it does need to be warmed so it doesn’t make lumpy gravy when you add it to the flour.)
- Heat the butter in a large ovenproof and flame-proof casserole or skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper; cook until tender, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the flour and stir to combine. (The mixture will be dry.)
- Remove the bay leaf and thyme from the stock mixture. Whisk the stock into the flour and vegetables. Add the remaining cup of cheese and stir until smooth. Add the rice and stir to combine. Add the sour cream, cayenne and nutmeg; stir until smooth. Place the 6 pieces of chicken in the casserole and snuggle them into the rice. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Bake until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the broccoli in a microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 cup of water. Cover and microwave until the broccoli is just tender and bright green, about 2 minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave. Drain the broccoli and keep warm.
- Once the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, remove the casserole from the oven and stir in the broccoli. (It’s easiest if you transfer the chicken to a plate first, then stir in the broccoli, then pop the chicken back on top.) Smooth the top and sprinkle with the reserved panko-cheese mixture. Return to the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown, about 15 minutes longer. Place the casserole on a rack to cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 848 |
| Total Fat | 35 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Carbohydrates | 79 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 10 g |
| Protein | 54 g |
| Cholesterol | 184 mg |
| Sodium | 1383 mg |
Reviews
It turned out really well! However, I cooked the dish at 400°F for 40 minutes, was generous with the cheese, and added a lot of extra spices, so that may have had more to do with it than anything. That being said, it’s a great base recipe!
This dish took wayyyyyyy too long to prep and cook. I wound up cooking an additional 40 min on top of the called-for 40 mins. My daughter was crying, she was so hungry waiting for this dish!!! And the Panko topping was pointless. Didn’t brown right and just added more time. Going into the “no” pile. Sorry.
I made three changes that I think fixed the problems others had with this recipe. I used 2 1/2 cups of cooked whole grain rice instead of 2 cups of uncooked rice, I whisked the flour into the steaming milk/broth before adding the liquid to the skillet, and I doubled the garlic. It turned out well!
very good
The flavor was great. I did have to cook longer as the rice was still very firm. If you like more flavor I would add additional garlic fresh thyme and more cayenne. The flavor is a basic casserole, however, you can taste the authentic ingredients when eating.
I didn’t like this at all. No flavor. Very bland. Took a long time for something that didn’t taste very good. I dreaded eating this because I hate wasting food. Won’t make this again.
I’m giving this one star because it’s inedible without adjustments. I wish I had read the reviews earlier. I was hoping for an easy weeknight casserole and instead got a bland time consuming dish.
To save this dish, I added about 1 and a half cup additional broth. I also bumped the oven temp up to 400 and it still took about 15 minutes extra. I also added dried thyme and garlic powder. I still felt it a bit bland but it was at least decent and the rice was soft. I also feel the step to infuse the milk probably isn’t necessary based on all the additional seasonings that are needed.
This is by far the worst chicken and rice dish that I have ever eaten! I prepared it exactly as the recipe instructed. The rice and chicken were dry and flavorless. What a waste of time and ingredients.
Pretty terrible. The rice was not cooked and more liquid and additional cooking time were necessary. Flavor wasn’t great either. This recipe was a lot of work and turnout not very good. I would definitely not make this again.
This is similar to a recipe you posted for Southern Living but it included mayonnaise. We really enjoyed it but could the recipe be made without mayo and sour cream? What is the purpose?