When the winter winds start to blow and bring chilling rain or mountains of snow, you'll love this easy-to-make dish that not only warms the house as it bakes but will warm your insides and lift your spirits.
If you love baked mac and cheese but always have to add side dishes to make it a complete meal, you'll adore this recipe.
It's an all in one dish that's a step away from the mundane and my family thinks it's even better than mac n' cheese---which amazed me because they absolutely love it.
You can make some substitutions with the vegetables, the ones in the recipe make the combination my family loves. I've tried it with cauliflower as one of the veggies to replace the broccoli, but it simply didn't look as appetizing or taste as good.
Since I'm a stickler on appearance and color, I really like the combo of two colors of green from vegetables, the orange of the carrots, white of the rice and yellow and brown from the cheese.
It just looks more appetizing and you don't have to serve a side salad if you don't want to do it.
When you're on a budget, this dish gives you a two-fer. You not only get an easy-to-make dinner, but you also warm your home at the same time. I try to do all baking and roasting in the winter---even though sometimes I can't help but make a baked dish in the summer months.
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw rice (washed and rinsed)
- 1 can Chicken broth (14.5 oz )
- ½ lb chicken Fillet (cut in cubes)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 12 pieces dried Shiitake mushrooms (soaked in water to de-hydrate)
- ½ cup soaked water (from Shiitake mushroom )
- 1 cup mixed vegetables (frozen or fresh)
- ½ cup bell pepper (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning
- 2 cans Cream of Mushroom
- ½ cup Mexican Blend Cheese (shredded)
- ½ cup Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
Step by step instructions
1 Preheat the oven at 400° F. Rinse and drained the uncooked rice. Set aside for later use.
2 In a saucepan, add the olive oil. Once the saucepan is heated, add garlic, then the mixed vegetables and bell pepper. If using the Instant Pot - set it to "sauté" setting and do the same process.
3 Followed by sliced re-dehydrated Shiitake mushroom then the chicken cubes. Stir-fry over medium-low heat until the chicken is semi-cooked with white surface.
4 Add the washed "uncooked" rice and continue frying and tossing. Season the mixture with garlic powder and adobo seasoning. Making sure the mixture is well-stirred.
5 "If cooking in the stovetop". Transfer the fried rice into a rice cooker and add the chicken broth and the soaked water (from Shiitake mushroom ) to cook the rice.
5 "If cooking in Instant Pot" - Turn the "sauté" setting off and press the "manual". Set it in 4 minutes time and let it steam release naturally over the course of minutes until the float valve pin drops to show that it's ready to open.
6 Once the rice is cooked, fluff the rice and portion the content into your casserole dishes or baking pan (I made this into 2 dish pans).
7 Pour 1 can Cream of Mushroom (or Cream of Chicken) over the top of the rice. Spread the sauce evenly across the surface. Use the other one can of cream of mushroom to the other dish pan.
8 Divide the cheese into half. Top the sauce with a layer of shredded Mexican Blend Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese. Add the leftover cheese into the other dish.
9 Bake in the oven for 10 -15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and give a golden brown crust at the top of the baked rice. Serve hot.
Related recipe
Watch the video below
It keeps the house warm and welcoming with the scent of baked foods in the air. Baked rice dishes have become extremely popular.
In fact, in many of the larger cities where Asian restaurants abound, you'll find a baked cheesy rice dish in every one of them. They're also becoming more popular in more upscale non-Asian establishments as an alternative meal that's also a great comfort food.
Full Recipe
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Ingredients:
- 2 cups raw rice (washed and rinsed)
- 1 can Chicken broth (14.5 oz )
- ½ lb chicken Fillet (cut in cubes)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 12 pieces dried Shiitake mushrooms (soaked in water to de-hydrate)
- ½ cup soaked water (from Shiitake mushroom )
- 1 cup mixed vegetables (frozen or fresh)
- ½ cup bell pepper (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Adobo seasoning
- 2 cans Cream of Mushroom
- ½ cup Mexican Blend Cheese (shredded)
- ½ cup Mozzarella Cheese (shredded)
Watch the Video:
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven at 400° F.
- Rinse and drained the uncooked rice. Set aside for later use.
- In a saucepan, add the olive oil. Once the saucepan is heated, add garlic, then the mixed vegetables and bell pepper. If using the Instant Pot - set it to "sauté" setting and do the same process.
- Followed by sliced re-dehydrated Shiitake mushroom then the chicken cubes. Stir-fry over medium-low heat until the chicken is semi-cooked with white surface.
- Add the washed "uncooked" rice and continue frying and tossing. Season the mixture with garlic powder and adobo seasoning. Making sure the mixture is well-stirred.
- "If cooking in the stovetop". Transfer the fried rice into a rice cooker and add the chicken broth and the soaked water (from Shiitake mushroom ) to cook the rice.
- "If cooking in Instant Pot" - Turn the "sauté" setting off and press the "manual". Set it in 4 minutes time and let it steam release naturally over the course of minutes until the float valve pin drops to show that it's ready to open.
- Once the rice is cooked, fluff the rice and portion the content into your casserole dishes or baking pan (I made this into 2 dish pans).
- Pour 1 can Cream of Mushroom (or Cream of Chicken) over the top of the rice. Spread the sauce evenly across the surface. Use the other one can of cream of mushroom to the other dish pan.
- Divide the cheese into half. Top the sauce with a layer of shredded Mexican Blend Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese. Add the leftover cheese into the other dish.
- Bake in the oven for 10 -15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and give a golden brown crust at the top of the baked rice. Serve hot.
Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Cindy @ The Sweet Nerd says
This is such a great winter week night dinner - you hit all the major food groups and very little clean up. Thanks!
Ellen says
A great budget dish for a cool night. Hearty comfort food for sure.
colleen says
I will be dreaming about this cheesy goodness tonight! yUM!!
Rebecca says
What a comforting recipe, I can't wait to try it!
Cleo @ Journey to the Garden says
Ah, this looks so filling and easily adjustable for a large group. The bubbling cheese looks so yummy too! A good winter and fall favourite!
lisa says
This is the cheesiest! Love it!
Amy says
Yummy! I love a good casserole and cannot wait to give this a try! All those mushrooms and peppers sound so good!
Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie says
I love a good casserole! Especially when it looks this good!
Monica | Nourish & Fete says
Yum, this looks tasty! And I totally hear you about being a stickler on color - I joke that I don't really like serving monochromatic meals - except it's not really a joke. 😉 Those peppers are just the thing!
Demeter says
Oh my gosh, I've been dreaming about baked mac and cheese for ages! This casserole looks so cozy and comforting! The photo of that spoonful is just irresistible!