GF DF Chicken and Rice Casserole

A similar recipe to this one, but with a few more steps. Original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces, patted dry
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup dry sherry or white wine
1 1/3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup water
1 cup raw, medium or long grain, brown rice
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tbsp dried or 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, sage, thyme, and basil
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high or high heat (hot enough to brown but not burn). Sprinkle a dash of salt on the bottom of the pan. Season the chicken pieces all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on two sides, about 1-2 minutes per batch. Add more olive oil if needed after every batch. This will help prevent the chicken from sticking to the pan. Remove chicken pieces and set aside in a bowl. Note that the chicken does not have to be cooked through, only browned.

2. In the same sauté pan add 1 Tbsp olive oil, lower the heat to medium, add the onions, and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cook 30 seconds more. Remove onions and garlic to a shallow (9 x 13 x 2) casserole dish.

3. Raise heat to medium high, add the sliced mushrooms. Dry sauté them (no need to add butter or oil), allowing the mushrooms to brown lightly, and release some of their moisture. Add the mushrooms to the casserole dish.

4. Add 1/4 cup dry sherry or dry white wine to the pan to deglaze the pan, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the sherry reduce to about 1 Tbsp, then add the chicken stock, and remove from heat. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, the mayonnaise, and the water. Add the raw rice to the casserole dish. Then pour the stock, sherry, water and mayonnaise mixture over the rice. Add the herbs (except the fresh parsley) and paprika to the dish. Stir the rice, onion, mushroom, herb mixture so that they are evenly distributed in the casserole dish.

5. Place the chicken pieces on top of the rice mixture (in a single layer if you can, they will be crowded). Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil.

6. Bake in a 375°F oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil. If the casserole has still too much liquid in it, let it cook a few minutes more, uncovered, until the excess liquid has evaporated away.

7. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.

Serves 6