Secret Recipe Club: Creamy Brown Rice, Mushroom, Chicken, and Spinach Bake

It's time for Secret Recipe Club! This month I had Jessie, from Jessie Weaver: The Vanderbilt Wife. She is a stay at home mum to 3 kids in Chattanooga and she also works as a freelance writer. She says that she is an awful housewife but her blog is full of useful information and delicious recipes.

I decided to make her Creamy Brown Rice, Mushroom, Chicken, and Spinach Bake. I made a few tweaks adding in asparagus as it's in season and using mozzarella instead of parmesan. The dish was delicious and I have never cooked rice this way before, so it was new and fun experience for me and it came out perfectly. Yum!

Creamy Brown Rice, Mushroom, Chicken, and Spinach Bake (from Jessie Weaver)

(Serves 4-6)

830ml chicken stock, divided 

280g uncooked brown rice 

450g chicken, cooked and shredded or cubed 

1 tbsp butter 

1 onion, diced 

450g chestnut mushrooms, sliced 

4-5 stems fresh thyme, leaves stripped 

salt and pepper 

100g spinach leaves 

2 tbsp cornflour

250ml cream or creme fraiche

1 ball mozzarella, sliced 

Preheat the oven to 180C. 

Spread the uncooked rice in the bottom of a 23 x 33 cm pan. 

Bring 580ml of stock to a boil in the microwave or on the stovetop; pour over the rice. Cover the dish tightly with a double layer of foil. Bake for 30 mins. 

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onion and cook for five mins, until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook a few more mins, until golden brown. Then add the salt, pepper, and thyme leaves and stir to combine. Add the spinach leaves to the mushroom mix and cook until they are wilted. Pour in the remaining 250ml of stock and add the chicken to the frying pan and simmer for a few mins. 

In a small bowl, mix together the cornflour and 1 tbsp of cream. Add the remaining cream to the frying pan, stirring well, then add in the cornflour slurry. Bring to a low boil and let it cook for a few mins until the sauce is thickened. 

Pour the mushroom mixture evenly over the rice and lay over the mozzarella. Recover with the foil and cook for another 30 mins, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Remove the foil for the last 10 mins of cooking time to allow the cheese to go golden. Serve.

 

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