Week 14 Alternative Ingredient: Brown Rice
Cheesy Brown Rice Chicken Casserole with Bacon and Mushrooms
- 6-8 slices of turkey bacon
- 1 lb chicken breast chopped into 1 inch chunks
- 4 tbsp tbsp butter divided
- 12 oz sliced mushrooms
- 4 cups prepared brown rice
- 3 tbsp flour*
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Begin by heating a large skillet pan to medium high heat. Coat with a cooking spray, and add sliced bacon. Cook to your liking on crispiness, mine usually takes from 8-10 minutes (extra crispy). Set bacon aside, keep fat inside the pan. Once bacon cools, rip or cut into small pieces.
- Place chicken inside the skillet with bacon grease, and turn down heat to medium. Cook until no longer pink inside, another 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and add to bacon.
- Meanwhile, make the cheese sauce. Heat up 2 tbsp butter in a small sauce pan, add flour and mix to combine, cook for a minute, then add chicken broth. Heat up chicken broth to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Once sauce begins to thicken, add cheese. Continue to whisk and cook until cheese is completely melted. Set aside.
- Finally make the mushrooms, add 2 tbsp butter to the chicken/bacon skillet. Saute mushrooms until they are nice and brown, another 8 minutes.
- In a large casserole dish, toss in cooked rice, bacon, chicken, mushrooms, and top with cheese sauce. Mix around to coat the entire dish with the sauce, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately.
*If you follow a Gluten-Free diet, substitute arrowroot powder for the flour in this recipe. I use the Trader Joe’s Frozen Organic Brown Rice in this recipe.
