This one-pot dinner is a savory mixture of chicken, wild rice, spinach, and mushrooms that’s reminiscent of risotto, but without the constant stirring! Prepared in a Dutch oven, it’s a comforting casserole that’s perfect for cozy weeknight meals, winter holidays, or casual parties on cold nights. Nutty wild rice provides the base, and the chicken and vegetables infuse flavor into the grains as they cook.
Update: Dec 14, 2020 We’ve always used Parmesan in this recipe, but this time we topped it with Cypress Grove’s soft, ripe goat cheese cheese (pictured). It pairs nicely with the nutty aroma of wild rice! Definitely recommend using this in addition to Parmesan.
You’ll notice in these pictures that we did not use a Dutch oven this time around. Instead, we cooked the rice in a pot and transferred it to our matte black Staub casserole dishes. We divided the recipe into two batches and made one with goat cheese topping and one for the kids using just Parmesan. You can also use Gruyère or Pecorino if you prefer. We haven’t tried substituting wild rice, but farro, barley or a different hearty grain are all great alternatives.
To make this recipe simpler, you can use pre-cooked chicken. Most recently, we purchased a cooked rotisserie chicken from the store. All you have to do is pull the meat from the bone and stir it in at the same time you add the spinach (step 7). The rice will still take around 45 minutes to cook and become tender. However, you can’t go wrong with rotisserie chicken.
If you try this recipe at home, tag @cookswithsoul on Instagram and hashtag it #cookswithsoul
Chicken and Wild Rice with Mushroom Casserole (Gluten Free, Diabetic Friendly)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion chopped
- fine sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup crimini mushrooms optional
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic about 6 cloves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme plus more for garnish
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth divided
- 1/2 cup white cooking wine
- 2 cups wild rice
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces (alternatively, you can use pre-cooked chicken, see notes below)
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup soft ripe goat cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Melt butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Cook and stir onion in butter and oil until softened, about 5 minutes; season with sea salt and pepper.
- Stir in mushrooms, if using, and garlic with the onion and cook until the mushrooms release their moisture, about 5 minutes; season with thyme and continue cooking for one minute.
- Pour 2 1/2 cups chicken broth and white cooking wine into the pot; bring to a boil. Stir rice and chicken into the boiling liquid, cover the pot, and reduce heat to low. *See notes about using pre-cooked chicken and checking rice halfway through cooking.
- Simmer mixture until rice is cooked, about 50 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- Remove Dutch oven from heat and stir spinach into the rice and chicken mixture; top with Parmesan cheese and goat cheese, if using.
- Bake in the preheated oven until cheese melts and starts to brown around the edges, about 15 minutes.
Just want to say thank y’all so much for this recipe! Going to be making it regularly. It’s a journey to find things that are so satisfying and also so easy to make and fit into a pre diabetic diet. So serious kuddos! The goat cheese is such a winning addition too. I’ve just been serving it with roasted asparagus and leeks and 10/10.
Hi! Thank you so much. When we first made this dish, we prepared it without goat cheese. We only added it later the second or third time making, and we thought it was a nice addition too. Roasted asparagus and leeks sounds great. Glad you loved it!