Chicken and Mushrooms Over Rice
April 4th, 2018 
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There is nothing more comforting than warm, cream chicken over rice. As a kid my grandmother who was originally from the south used to make me smothered chicken. Sometimes she would put it over egg noodles, sometimes she would put it over rice. Either way, I could never get enough of it. Usually it was left on the bone but here in this recipe I decided to remove the bone for simplified eating. I start by cooking the chicken with the bone-in, to build flavor. I’ve been in many situations where I’ve had no chicken broth or worse, bad quality broth. Therefore quite often I just choose to make my own. By simmering the chicken with a few veggies you get a wonderful homemade stock. And the end result is loaded with flavor because it calls for my favorite flavor filled mushroom, shiitake. It was also important to me as well that this dish didn’t leave you feeling weighed down after you eat it, therefore I left out the cream. Gluten intolerant? No problem, try thickening the sauce with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten- Free Baking Flour. Get those stockpots ready because your house is about to smell like heaven!
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Chicken and Mushrooms Over Rice
- 2 pounds organic bone-in, skin on chicken thighs, about 5-6 pieces
- 2 small Spanish onions, peeled
- 3 large carrots, peeled
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- extra virgin olive oil
- 5 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms, about 3 ½ cups
- fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, or gluten free flour*
- 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 3 cups cooked steamed rice
- In a large pot add the chicken with 8 cups of water, and place it on high heat. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, medium heat. Skim the grey scum off the top of water and discard. Once all the scum has been removed add one onion, one carrot and the thyme. Simmer the chicken for an hour, until tender and the water turns golden in color.
- While the chicken is simmering, chop one onion and remaining two carrots into a small dice and set aside.
- In a large skillet turn heat on medium/high, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the sliced shiitake. Let the mushrooms cook for about 4 minutes letting them turn golden brown on one side, then stir/turn. Continue to cook until the mushrooms are golden brown on both sides. Be sure not to burn the mushrooms, reduce heat if necessary. Once they are golden brown, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper and set aside in a medium bowl. Return skillet to the stove.
- Turn the skillet on medium high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil, chopped onions and carrots. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the onions become translucent and the carrots start to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the onions, garlic and carrots to the bowl with mushrooms.
- Once the chicken has simmered for an hour, strain and reserve the broth in a separate pot. Discard the onion, carrot and thyme. Let the chicken cool for about 5-10 minutes until comfortable enough to remove the skin and bones, and shred the chicken meat.
- On medium-high heat add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the flour to a 4-quart pot, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook for about 2 minutes until combined and starts to bubble. Slowly add in 4 cups both, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the chicken, reserved vegetables, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and cook for another 10 minutes. Finish with chopped parsley, and serve over rice.
- *Gluten-Free? Swap out all-purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour.
- Are mushrooms your thing? Add a variety of mushrooms, mix and match. Even try adding is some truffles and a drop of truffle oil if your feeling fancy.
- Try adding 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped tarragon, chives, and or chervil.
- Not into rice? Try serving it over pasta.
- Make it extra creamy by finishing it with ¼ cup of sour cream or heavy cream.
- Have tons of extra broth? Freeze it and use it for the next round. You can use stock instead of water anytime to boost flavor.
