Midwestern US · Dinner

Chicken and wild rice bake

Name: Chicken and wild rice bake
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Midwestern US
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups uncooked wild rice, rinsed; 6 cups water; 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced; 1 large yellow onion, diced; 3 celery stalks, diced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock, warmed; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves; 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage; 1/2 cup sliced almonds; 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Roasted chicken, hand-harvested wild rice, mushrooms, celery, and herbs bound in a light stock sauce and baked beneath toasted almonds.

About 2 hrTotal

About 1 hr 50 minActive

$$Cost

ModerateDifficulty

Makes 8 servings

Equipment

Use another light-colored 9 × 13-inch metal pan and begin checking browning early.
Best metal 9-by-13 pan
USA Pan 9-by-13-Inch Rectangular Baking Pan · 1110RC
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use another light-colored 9 × 13-inch metal pan and begin checking browning early.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched exact interior dimensions and metal heat behavior, then checked material, maximum temperature, coating care, stable model identity, and retail destination. Kwilt has not baked with this pan.
USA Pan 9-by-13-Inch Rectangular Baking Pan · 1110RC: The exact 9-by-13-inch baking surface and aluminized-steel construction match recipes whose dough depth and bottom browning depend on a standard metal pan. Trade-off: The nonstick surface calls for hand washing and nonmetal tools, and efficient heat conduction can brown faster than glass.
Another workable path: Use another light-colored 9-by-13-inch metal pan; glass changes heat behavior and is not an equal substitute for every high-heat bread method.
Sources
USA Pan 1110RC specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 8 servings

1 1/2 cups uncooked wild rice, rinsed
6 cups water
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock, warmed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions

Simmer wild rice in the water with 1 teaspoon salt until grains split and are tender but chewy, 40 to 55 minutes; drain thoroughly. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, rub with oil, and roast at 425°F to 165°F. Rest 10 minutes and dice.
Melt butter in a wide pot and brown mushrooms. Add onion and celery until soft, then garlic for 30 seconds and flour for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock and simmer until lightly thickened; add thyme, sage, and remaining salt.
Fold rice, chicken, and parsley into sauce and spread in a . Cover and bake at 375°F for 20 minutes.
Uncover, scatter almonds over top, and bake 10 to 15 minutes more until bubbling and toasted. Rest 10 minutes.

Upper MidwestMidwestern American home-cooking traditions

From the table

About this recipe

Chicken and wild rice bake reflects Upper Midwestern use of wild rice in hearty communal casseroles; this version preserves the grain’s chewy split texture by cooking and draining it before the chicken, mushroom sauce, and almond-topped bake.

Wild rice is Minnesota’s state grain, but it is not rice: it is an aquatic grass with enduring cultural and subsistence importance to Anishinaabe peoples, who call it manoomin. Hand-harvested, wood-parched wild rice is preferred where available. This casserole is a Midwestern home adaptation, not an Indigenous ceremonial dish. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Build a restrained Minnesota casserole around real wild-rice texture, acknowledging manoomin’s Indigenous significance and keeping the final bake brief.

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