Description
A comforting casserole where French onion soup meets creamy chicken, rice, mushrooms, spinach, and melted Gruyère cheese.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 pounds sweet onion (about 4 large), thickly sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
- 2 cups baby spinach, packed (about 2–3 ounces)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3–4 cups cooked chicken, torn into bite-sized pieces
- 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add thick-sliced onions and cook undisturbed for 15 minutes, then stir and continue cooking another 15 minutes or until deeply caramelized.
- Lower heat to medium, add garlic, salt, pepper, tarragon, and thyme; cook for 1 minute. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, dry-cook mushrooms for 5–10 minutes until browned.
- Add remaining butter and oil, stir in rice, and lightly toast for 5 minutes.
- Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
- Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove lid, stir in heavy cream and cooked chicken, and heat through.
- Grease a 9×13×3-inch baking dish, pour in rice-chicken mixture, top with caramelized onions and shredded cheese.
- Broil until cheese is melted and golden. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Swap Gruyère with Emmental, Swiss, Comté, or cheddar.
- Use kale instead of spinach or add shredded carrots for extra veggies.
- For a lighter version, substitute part of the cream with evaporated milk or Greek yogurt.
- Best freshly baked, not recommended for freezing due to mushy rice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 350g)
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 640mg
- Fat: 27g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 29g
- Cholesterol: 115mg
