Classic Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish From 'The New Midwestern Table

Name: Classic Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish From 'The New Midwestern Table
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 473 milliliters coarsely ground buttery crackers, such as Ritz or Club (about 2 sleeves); 3 stalks celery, cut into small dice; 355 milliliters ounces aged Gouda or aged cheddar cheese, grated; 473 milliliters roughly chopped cooked chicken meat; 1 dried bay leaf; 3 Tbsps all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoons dried thyme leaves, or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh; 158 milliliters heavy cream; 2 leeks, white and green parts, cut into small dice (2 1/2 cups); 177 milliliters chicken stock, low-sodium store-bought or homemade; 0 teaspoons grated nutmeg; 2 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil; 118 milliliters natural wild rice; 6 Tbsps (3/4 stick) salted butter, plus more, at room temperature, for the baking dish; 6 servings Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; 355 milliliters whole milk

You can never have too many main course recipes, so give Classic Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish From 'The New Midwestern Table a try. This recipe covers 18% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. One portion of this dish contains approximately 21g of protein, 48g of fat, and a total of 660 calories. This recipe serves 6. If you have chicken meat, leeks, aged cheddar cheese, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. To use up the heavy cream you could follow this main course with the Homemade Blizzards with Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs as a dessert. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes about 2 hours.

Instructions

Put the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it under cold running water, swishing the rice with your hand until the water runs clear.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Rice

Equipment you will use

Sieve

Transfer the rice to a medium bowl, and add water to cover.

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Water

Rice

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Pour off any black bits or floating kernels, pour the rice back into the sieve to drain, and then put it in a small saucepan.

Ingredients you will need

Rice

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Sieve

Add 1 1/4 cups water, a pinch of salt, and the bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Steam for 25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water has evaporated.(If liquid remains after the rice is done, drain it in a sieve.)

Ingredients you will need

Bay Leaves

Water

Rice

Salt

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Sieve

Frying Pan

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F.

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Oven

While the rice cooks, heat the butter in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

Rice

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Add the leeks and celery, and season with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

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Salt And Pepper

Celery

Leek

Add the flour to the vegetables and stir until well combined with the butter.

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Vegetable

Butter

All Purpose Flour

Pour in the milk and bring to a simmer, whisking to prevent any lumps.

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Milk

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Whisk

Add the cream, chicken stock, thyme, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat until the floury taste dissipates, about 5 minutes.

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Salt And Pepper

Chicken Stock

Nutmeg

Cream

Thyme

Add the cooked chicken, wild rice (minus the bay leaf), and half of the cheese, and heat until the cheese melts.

Ingredients you will need

Cooked Chicken

Wild Rice

Bay Leaves

Cheese

Put the crushed crackers in a heavy plastic bag and add 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the olive oil. Shake to combine, and set aside.

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Olive Oil

Crackers

Pepper

Shake

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Ziploc Bags

Rub a 9 × 13-inch baking dish with a thin layer of soft butter.

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Butter

Dry Seasoning Rub

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Baking Pan

Pour the hotdish mixture into the dish and top with the remaining cheese.

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Cheese

Bake for 25 minutes.

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Oven

Pull the dish from the oven, sprinkle the cracker mixture evenly over the top, and bake until the crackers turn dark golden brown and the hotdish bubbles in the center, about 25 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Crackers

Equipment you will use

Oven

Serve immediately.

Notes: If you have leftover gravy on hand, by all means use it in place of the chicken stock in this recipe.You can use a supermarket rotisserie chicken for the cooked chicken, but in that case, reduce the salt by 1/4 teaspoon. If you have cooked wild rice on hand, use 2 cups for this recipe.

Ingredients you will need

Cooked Chicken

Cooked Wild Rice