This is a recipe that is a bit sentimental to me. I haven’t seen or tasted it since the first meal Mike made for me. I have a theory that any man who offers to cook for you will always make spaghetti. Am I right or am I right, girls? He didn’t; maybe that contributed to me falling for him. Although he did fit the bachelor bill with a glass-top table, at least one large mirror in the house and fake leather Lazy-boy-style couches (again, am I right or am I right?), he broke the mold with the first home-cooked meal date. Chicken Mushroom Wild Rice & Sage Casserole. That deserves to be a sentence on its own. He found the recipe on Southern Living..even more impressive. I decided to make it tonight and I wanted to share.
Preheat oven to 375°. Prep all ingredients; gather 1 stick of butter, divided with 6 boneless and skinless chicken breast cutlets. Chop 3 shallots, mince 2 large garlic cloves and chop 1 pound of assorted fresh mushrooms.
Measure 1/4 cup sherry, 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour, 2 cans or 14 ounces fat-free chicken broth and 1/2 cup grated parmesan. Assemble 1 (6oz) package long-grain and wild rice mix, discarding season mix, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Chop 2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley and 1 Tbsp fresh sage. Toast 1/2 cup sliced almonds.
Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 chicken cutlets and cook for 1 minute. Flip and cook for 1 minute on the other side. Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat with other 3 chicken cutlets. Set aside.
Melt 2 Tbsp butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir frequently for 4 minutes.
Stir in sherry and cook, continuing to stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Melt remaining butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly until smooth and bubbly. 
Slowly add chicken broth. Continue to whisk, cooking until thickened slightly.
Remove from heat. Add rice, parmesan cheese, parsley, sage, salt and pepper.
Add shallot mixture.
Pour entire mixture into a casserole dish and top with chicken. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°.
Allow to rest for 10 minutes after removing from oven. Sprinkle top with toasted almonds.
I served with roasted ranch carrots. Scroll down for the recipe you can print.
Wow. I’m really surprised he didn’t just use canned cream of mushroom soup! Impressive!
Maybe he did and I didn’t notice. Hahaha!