Chicken Marsala Casserole

Chicken marsala is my all-time favorite Italian meal.  I’m not a huge red sauce fan and I love mushrooms, so it is the perfect dish for me. 

I thought it would be brilliant to make a chicken marsala casserole…a creamy, wine flavored mixture of rice, chicken and mushrooms, with a golden brown cheesy crust.  Sounds amazing, right?  And I was so proud of myself for coming up with an original idea (most of my recipe ideas come from cookbooks, magazines, blogs, and meals I’ve had at restaurants). 

But then after a Google search I realized that Rachel Ray had beaten me to it!  So much for originality.

 

I mostly followed her recipe.  I swapped half of the butter for oil (not that it makes much of a difference nutritionally).  I added more mushrooms and an onion to boost the veggies content.  Garlic was a must.  I swapped half and half for the heavy cream.  I didn’t have any brown rice, so i just used white…but next time around I’m going to give it a try. 

The results were delicious…exactly what I was hoping for!  Serve it with a side vegetable to round out the meal. 

Chicken Marsala Casserole
adapted from RachelRayMag.com

makes 8 servings

1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 – 16 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup marsala wine (or white wine)
1/2 cup half & half
2 cups chicken stock or water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup long-grain rice, uncooked
2 packed cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat until just melted. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 - 7 minutes. Add the garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the flour on top and stir in for 1 minute. Stir in the marsala and cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of stock.

In a greased 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole, spread the rice in an even layer; top with the chicken. Pour the mushroom gravy on top. Cover tightly with foil and bake until bubbly, about 35 minutes. Discard the foil, sprinkle the parmesan on top and bake for 5 minutes more.

Per serving - 245 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated), 25 g carbohydrate, 16 g protein, 1 g fiber (exchanges: 1 starch, 1 1/2 fat, 2 protein, 1/2 vegetable; WW points: 5 )