Chicken "Pot Pie" with Crunchy Brown Rice Crust

We have had several dinner 'fails' lately. Certainly, nothing that I've considered to be post-worthy. This was the one exception to the many stinkers that have not worked out for me. My friend, Claire and I must have both bookmarked this recipe around the same time; but she ended up making it before I got around to it. I needed something that I knew was going to help get us out of our dinner rut, so I turned to her blog for ideas. I figured if her family liked it, then mine would too. When I saw this recipe posted on her website, I remembered I wanted to try this dish and decided to give it a go. I am glad I did, because it was really yummy...just what I needed to get back on track in my kitchen.

Chicken "Pot Pie" with Crunchy Brown Rice Crust
From: the Whole Foods iPhone app, also available on the Whole Foods website

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 pound sliced button mushrooms
2 teaspoons chopped thyme, divided
1 large carrot, chopped
1 rib celery, thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium gluten-free chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
1 cup cooked brown rice or brown and wild rice blend
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 cup frozen peas

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish with oil; set aside.

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1 teaspoon of the thyme, carrots, celery, onions, salt and pepper and cook until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add broth and milk, stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until very thick, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine rice, cheese, paprika, remaining 1 teaspoon thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

Stir peas into chicken mixture then season with salt and pepper and transfer to prepared dish. Scatter rice mixture evenly over the top then arrange dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake until bubbly and crust is crisp, about 30 minutes.

Nutritional Info:
Per serving (about 9oz/256g-wt.): 240 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 55mg cholesterol, 370mg sodium, 20g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 21g protein





The Result:
This was really, really good. Not really a "pot pie", but more like a casserole with a homey, comforting feel to it. We all really loved this dish, and it will be one that I make again.