Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add the wild rice, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, chicken broth, salt, Italian seasoning, paprika, black pepper and thyme to a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place into the oven to bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

At the 1 hour mark, in a large skillet set over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Sprinkle a dash of salt on the bottom of the pan. Season the chicken pieces all over additional ground black pepper and paprika. Working in 2-3 batches, brown the chicken pieces on two sides, about 2-3 minutes per batch. Remove chicken pieces and set aside. Add a little more salt to the pan (and more olive oil if needed) after each batch.

Add the mushrooms and sauté them, allowing them to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add the white wine or chicken broth to deglaze the pan, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove the casserole from the oven (turn the oven up to 425 degrees) and stir in the mushrooms, sour cream and milk. Place the chicken over top and gently press it into the rice.

Toss the cubed bread into the melted butter, then sprinkle over the top. Return the casserole to the oven and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes, keeping an eye on the bread crumbs (if they are getting too brown, just place the foil over top.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired.