Divine Chicken and Rice

Let me introduce you to a chicken and rice recipe that just might make you throw out your old recipe card. This recipe is so delicious it could only be called "Divine".  My recipe closely follows one I found on Simply Recipes . I really think you are going to enjoy the small changes I have made.

Divine Chicken and Rice 
2-2 1/2lbs.
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large portobello mushroom caps
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/3 chicken stock
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream
1 cup raw medium or long grain white rice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. herbs de provence
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. dried parsley

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high or high heat (hot enough to brown but not burn). Sprinkle a dash of salt on the bottom of the pan. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on two sides, about 1-2 minutes per batch. Add a little more salt to the pan (and more olive oil if needed) after every batch. This will help prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan. Remove chicken pieces and set aside in a bowl. Note that the chicken does not have to be cooked through, only browned.


2 In the same sauté pan add 1 Tbsp olive oil, lower the heat to medium, add the onions, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds more. Remove onions and garlic to a shallow (9 x 13 x 2) casserole dish.


3 Raise heat to medium high, add the sliced mushrooms. Dry sauté them (no need to add butter or oil), allowing the mushrooms to brown lightly, and release some of their moisture. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish.


4 Add 1/4 cup dry white wine to the pan to deglaze the pan, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Let the wine reduce to about 1 Tbsp, then add the chicken stock, and remove from heat.
Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, the cream, and the sour cream. Add the raw rice to the casserole dish. Then pour the stock, wine, cream, sour cream mixture over the rice. Add the herbs de provence and paprika to the dish. Stir the rice, onion, mushroom, herb mixture so that they are evenly distributed in the casserole dish.

5 Place the chicken pieces on top of the rice mixture (in a single layer if you can, they will be crowded). Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375°F oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil. If the casserole is still too liquidy, let it cook a few minutes more, uncovered, until the excess liquid has evaporated away.
Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
Serves 6 (with leftovers)
adapted from Simply Recipes Chicken and Rice Casserole

I must admit I have even eaten this dish cold from the fridge. It's that good! Enjoy!