Crock Pot Chicken, Mushroom, and Brown Rice Casserole or A Few of My Favorite Things.

     Welcome and thank you for checking out my blog. Today's dinner is Crock Pot Chicken, Mushroom, and Brown Rice Casserole.

    
     A few weeks ago I wrote about my Thursdays and cooking with a crock pot (slow cooker), today I'm writing about another Thursday crock pot dinner.
     One of my favorite things about using a crock pot is that there is very little prep work, you simply cut up your ingredients, measure your herbs and spices and throw it all in, set the time and temperature and leave it. This recipe does have one extra step in that it requires you to brown the chicken thighs before putting them in the crock pot. This is a step that you don't want to skip as the browning process really brings the flavor out of the chicken.
     Another of my favorite things about using a crock pot is that they are portable.
I recently made this dinner and took it to a pot-luck, everyone enjoyed it and I received a lot of compliments. This dinner is a definite winner and is one of my favorite crock pot recipes.
     The last of my favorite things about cooking with a crock pot is the way that it makes the house smell delicious. The one thing I would recommend you do is arrange your day so that you get home before everyone else and watch your family's expressions as they walk through the door. The smell of food cooking in a crock pot will change any one's mood and evoke a Pavlovian response.
     Now that you know about my favorite things about cooking with a crock pot let's take a look at my favorite crock pot dinner.


           Chicken, Mushrooms, and Brown Rice Casserole

Prep time   15 min.     Cook time   426 min.     Serves   8

Ingredients

2 sprays, cooking spray

8 uncooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs, about 2 1/2oz each

2 cups canned chicken broth, reduced sodium

1/2 pound cremini (baby portobella) mushrooms, sliced

1 cup leeks, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced

1 cup carrots, thinly sliced

1 cup celery, thinly sliced

3/4 cup uncooked brown rice, medium-grain (such as brown Arborio

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper


Instructions

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; warm over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and brown, turning once, about 6 minutes; set aside.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a 5 to 6 quart crock pot, nestle the chicken thighs in the mixture. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours.

This recipe yields 1 chicken thigh and about 2/3 cup rice-vegetable mixture per serving.


     This is a delicious, easy to make dinner that will please the whole family and is great as leftovers or lunches the next day. As always, if you try this recipe, check back here and let me know how it turned out.


     Next week - Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry or Time For A Change.