Onion Chicken Rice (Printable Version)
Golden chicken, plenty of mushrooms, rice and slow-cooked onions all smooshed together with melty Gruyère cheese for the ultimate comfort food.
# What You'll Need:
→ Main ingredients
01 -
3–4 cups chicken (cooked and torn into pieces)
02 -
1 1/2 cups white rice, uncooked
03 -
2 cups tightly packed baby spinach (about 2–3 oz)
04 -
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced up
05 -
About 3 lbs sweet onions (four huge ones), thick slices
→ Dairy and fats
06 -
4 ounces Gruyère (Swiss cheese), grated
07 -
1 cup heavy cream
08 -
3 tablespoons olive oil, split
09 -
3 tablespoons butter, split
→ Liquid ingredients
10 -
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
11 -
1/3 cup brandy or a dry white wine
12 -
3 cups chicken broth
→ Seasonings
13 -
1 teaspoon dried thyme
14 -
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
15 -
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
16 -
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
17 -
1 tablespoon minced garlic
# Step-by-Step Guide:
01 -
Dish up while it's still piping hot.
02 -
Top the onions with a generous sprinkle of Gruyère cheese. Slide the casserole under the broiler until the cheese is gooey, bubbling, and golden.
03 -
Give a 9x13x3-inch baking pan a coat of cooking spray. Pour in the rice mixture and spread it out. Pile the caramelized onions over everything.
04 -
Take the lid off, mix in heavy cream and the chicken pieces, and warm the whole thing just until it's hot.
05 -
Pour in the chicken broth. Let it start to simmer, drop the heat low, put a cover on, and leave it for 15 minutes.
06 -
Pop the rest of the butter and olive oil in with the cooked mushrooms. Once runny, add the rice and toast for 5 minutes so it gets a bit of color. Throw in the spinach and stir until it just droops, about a minute.
07 -
In another pot or pan on medium-high, toss in mushrooms dry and cook until nicely browned, about 5–10 minutes.
08 -
Crank up the heat to medium. Toss in the garlic and stir for a minute. Sprinkle in salt, pepper, tarragon, and thyme. Let that go for another minute. Remove from heat to pour in the brandy or wine, put it back, then cook off the liquid for about 5 minutes. Mix in Worcestershire. Put onions aside.
09 -
In a big, high-sided skillet on medium-low, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss in the onion slices. Let them be for 15 minutes, stir and keep going 15 more. See if they're brown enough—if not, keep at it 10–15 more minutes, stirring now and then, until they're deeply caramelized.
# Additional Notes:
01 -
Let those onions get really brown and sweet for the best flavor. If you have top-notch Gruyère, go for it—makes a difference.