Comfort food at its finest. Plenty of chicken and vegetables in a sauce or gravy then topped with super-flavorful English muffin cubes, Gruyere and Parm.
My mother used to make a wild rice casserole – I think it used all wild rice (not a blend with other rice types) and because my dad wouldn’t eat chicken I think she used ground beef. And canned cream of mushroom soup. It was a favorite of mine, maybe because we had it so rarely. I don’t think wild rice was all that expensive back then like it is today. In fact I couldn’t even find straight wild rice at my market. So I followed the recipe (mostly) from The Pioneer Woman, which uses a wild rice blend. It worked perfectly well in this case.
This casserole was so delicious. To me it was the gruyere that made it taste so darned good. Gruyere has a unique flavor – it would have been far less tasty using a more bland cheese, so don’t substitute. Trader Joe’s has imported Gruyere (what I used) and a domestic version. I’ve never used English muffins as a topping before, either, and it was so easy to do. Mixed with the gruyere and grated Parm, it made a very tasty mouthful. And the top of the casserole looked so pretty with those toasted bread cubes.
I won’t tell you this isn’t a bit of work – you have to cook the wild rice blend, then cook the vegetables, then make it into a kind of gravy. Some soy sauce is added to the sauce (adds good umami flavor). If you don’t already have cooked chicken to use, you’ll need to cook that too. I decided to combine the topping ingredients so they were mixed well. The butter has to be melted as well – yet another small pan to clean. There certainly was a bit of cleanup after making this. It could be made ahead (the topping is added after partially baking it). The topping can be made ahead also – just keep in the frig until needed. Don’t overfill the casserole dish you decide to use – it might overflow once it’s baking. Mine nearly did. The instructions tell you to put the bread topping about 1″ away from the edges. Good advice.
What’s GOOD: everything about this was good – wonderful flavor in the dish, and especially the Gruyere and Parm added to the bread topping. It will feed at least 10 people unless you have football players at the table.
What’s NOT: only that you’ll use a number of pots and pans, so quite a bit of cleanup required.
Chicken Wild Rice Casserole with Gruyere
Yield: 10 servings
CASSEROLE:
1 1/2 cups wild rice blend Lundberg mixed rice blend
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
16 ounces button mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 large carrots, peeled, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 stalks celery, sliced 1/4 Inch Thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup half and half
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
CHEESE MIXTURE:
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
TOPPING:
3 English muffins, cut Into 1/2-inch pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, for garnish
1. Cook wild rice blend according to package directions, until rice still has a slight bite to it. It will continue to cook during the baking process later. Drain, if needed, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium to medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add mushrooms, onion, carrots, and celery. Stir occasionally until the onions are translucent and the carrots are softened, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables in the pot and stir to incorporate. Cook for 2 minutes. Then stir in chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and cook for 4-5 minutes, until nicely thickened. Stir in half-and-half and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes to thicken again. Add the soy sauce, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper, stirring to combine. Then fold in drained wild rice and chicken.
5. Combine the cheeses in a bowl and add half to the chicken mixture, folding to combine. Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Since the cheesy topping is salty, don’t over-salt the chicken mixture. Set aside remaining cheese.
6. Transfer chicken wild rice mixture to a large 9×13 or larger casserole dish. Do not over-fill the casserole or it will bubble over during the baking time. Cover with a lid or foil, and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until it starts to bubble.
7. To the bowl of remaining grated cheese add the English muffin cubes, then drizzle melted butter over all. Stir to combine so the butter is dispersed. Remove casserole from oven and top with bread and cheese mixture, leaving the outer edge of the casserole exposed. Return casserole to the oven, uncovered, and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until bread cubes are nicely browned and the casserole is hot and bubbling. Remove from oven, and allow casserole to sit for at least 5 minutes, or up to 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with additional fresh parsley, and serve.
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