Chicken and Rice Casserole for Recipe Swap Day

Photo of me and Justine after

a wedding two weekends ago.

Last week was my friend Justine's recipe swap week and one of the great things about most of our casseroles is you can freeze them if you aren't ready to eat them yet which is just what I did.  I had made Chicken Mulligatawny which had been moderately labor intensive and was worth the end result but I really didn't feel like cooking the next night so I took the Chicken and Rice Casserole out of the freezer.  For ours, she left off the cream and cheese so I could send some to school with my allergic-to-everything daughter the next day. 

This one made my hubby's top ten list.  He said this is his favorite "Justine recipe" yet.  We had the darndest (is that word?) time finding the recipe again and he told me I'd better track it down because he wants this every week. 

So there you go, a Chris rating of 10 on the "Justine recipe" scale.  

Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients

EVOO spray

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

2 (3 1/2-ounce) bags boil-in-bag brown rice

1/3 cup dry white wine

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 3/4 pounds) (she used the thighs with bone and they were just as good)

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

3 tablespoons whipping cream (Optional)
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) shredded Parmesan cheese (Optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°.  Spray a large skillet with EVOO spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan and sauté 2 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Remove rice from bags; add to pan. Sauté 30 seconds. Stir in wine; cook 30 seconds or until liquid almost evaporates. Spoon rice mixture in an even layer into a 13 x 9–inch baking dish (or two 9x9 inch baking dishes) coated with cooking spray.

3. Arrange chicken thighs in a single layer over rice mixture; sprinkle evenly with thyme and salt. Combine broth (and cream optional), stirring well; pour over chicken and rice mixture.

Bake Now: Bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is done.

To Freeze: Wrap all sides well with heavy duty aluminum foil.  Freeze for up to two months.

To Bake after freezing: Thaw casserole completely in the refrigerator.  Bake at 450 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.