Creamy Chicken with Wild Rice and Mushrooms ~ this earthy, stick-to-your-ribs chicken thighs and rice skillet is one pot comfort food for a busy weeknight. The whole family loves this meal.
When Creamy Chicken with Wild Rice and Mushrooms is on the menu, I look forward to dinner all day long.
When you say ‘comfort food’ this is the kind of thing that springs to my mind ~ tender chicken (crispy skin, of course!) with earthy mushrooms and wild rice swimming in that creamy sauce. Yum!!
Have you tried my creamy Tuscan chicken thighs? Or my chicken in lemon sauce with olives? Chicken just loves a creamy sauce, and so do I 🙂
It’s the combination of ingredients in this dish that gives it that restaurant quality, but happily there’s no extra effort involved. It’s a simple matter of using a shallot instead of an onion, deglazing the pan with Marsala wine, and using plenty of fresh thyme and heavy cream that elevates this dish and gives it a fancy vibe.
What you’ll need:
- chicken thighs ~ I use bone in skin on.
- shallots ~ a flavor builder.
- mushrooms ~ really any type you like.
- Marsala or other fortified wine like a dry sherry. This contributes much of the flavor to this dish, so don’t skip it.
- cream ~ or half and half.
- chicken broth
- wild rice
- flour
- butter, olive oil
- salt, pepper, and fresh thyme
Wild rice is one of my favorite fall ingredients…the long dark grains are actually a type of marsh grass native to the Great Lakes. Most stores carry it next to the regular rice, and it usually comes in a slender box.
How to cook wild rice
Use a ratio of 3 to 1 water to rice.
Bring the water to a boil, add rice, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for approximately 40-50 minutes, or just until tender. Be sure to taste to check, different types of wild rice cook differently.
Drain the rice. Use right away for chill for salads.
The rice should be characteristically chewy, so don’t over cook it.
Wild rice gives a boost of color and nutty flavor to lots of dishes. It looks really pretty and has a firm, chewy texture. Both my wild rice salad and basmati and wild rice with chickpeas are naturally vegan and gluten free and would be a fabulous addition to any fall or winter menu.
Cook’s tips for creamy chicken and rice
- To keep the chicken skin crispy, nestle the chicken into the sauce but don’t cover the top of the thighs with sauce.
- The sauce will thicken after chilling, so for leftovers, just thin with a little stock, milk, or cream.
- You can cut calories in this creamy chicken with wild rice and mushrooms by using half and half in place of the cream.
- You can substitute regular rice for the wild rice, if you like.
Creamy Chicken with Wild Rice and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 8 bone in skin on, chicken thighs
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 large shallots, finely minced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced (your choice, I used shitake and cremini)
- 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup Marsala wine
- 1 Tbsp Wondra flour
- 1 cup chicken or beef broth or stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
garnish
- more fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Set the oven to 400F
- Season the thighs on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and brown the thighs, skin side down first, for about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a baking sheet.
- Bake the chicken for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Set aside.
- Drain off any excess fat from the skillet, leaving a little behind in the pan. Saute the shallots for 3-5 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves to the pan and continue sauteing for another 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and softened. Add the Marsala wine to the pan and bring up to a simmer. Remove the shallots and mushrooms to a plate and set aside.
- Melt the remaining butter in the pan and add the flour, stir to combine and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the stock to the pan and whisk to combine. Add the cream and stir while the mixture comes up to a simmer. Taste the sauce to adjust the seasonings.
- Put the mushrooms back into the skillet, along with the wild rice. Bring everything up to a simmer. Nestle the chicken thighs into the sauce, and heat until the chicken is warmed through. Serve garnished with more fresh thyme.
Nutrition
Hi Sue, I was wondering if I can substitute the 1/2 heavy cream with cornstarch & milk? I’ve seen several recipes I would like to make which calls for heavy cream but I haven’t made because I don’t use heavy cream. My husband had a stroke in 2013 & I try NOT to make anything with cream sauces due to the fact. Please, if you would, give me advice on this issue & the possible ratio so I can finally make this recipe & others that call for heavy cream. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Yes, you could definitely do that!
Thank you for the quick response back! Can you tell me the ratio of cornstarch & milk to use & if it would change the texture or taste? I’m anxious to make this dish using the substitutes.
Thank you in advance.
I’m going to change my answer, Tricia, after checking the recipe again, I don’t think milk will do well with the wine. You can just leave the cream out, and maybe add more stock to make up for it. Then you might add a bit more flour to thicken the sauce a bit more.
Thank you, Sue! I didn’t think about the combination of milk w/the wine might not work. I’m going to try it first by your recent suggestion of adding more stock & then thicken it with a bit more flour. I also looked up the Wondra flour as I’d not heard of it or even know who carried it in my area. I was thinking of all purpose flour BUT after searching the Wondra flour I see why now you mentioned it – it’s so fine, it dissolves instantly in liquids — why it’s also called instant flour — and won’t clump.
Now I can make “creamy” recipes!! I’ve already spotted a few of yours I’m anxious to make like the Creamy Tuscan Chicken Thighs!! Mmmm! I can’t wait… going to make this ASAP!!
Thank you sooo very much Sue!
My mom introduced me to Wondra and I agree, it’s game changing!
Delish!
This looks soooo amazingly good! Making this tonight!!!
Completely loved this recipe but added some changes of my own. I did half white rice, half wild rice. I did not have butter and just dredged the mushrooms and shallots in flour and slowly added the stock while stirring. Added 1 tablespoon of worchestire sauce for additional flavor. This dish reminds me of my home state Minnesota.
Thanks Shawna ~ isn’t Worcestershire sauce such a magic ingredient?
I’m not a fan of wild rice. Does the recipe change any if I use regular long grain white rice?
No, you should be able to substitute any other type of rice without any changes, Michelle.
This was kinda disappointing and bland.
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you Melissa. I think the dish is basically a comfort food type of recipe, so the flavors are not super strong, but I find the Marsala alone gives it a really nice taste. You might try experimenting with a different type of stock.
This was THE PERFECT Monday night dinner! Thanks, Sue, for a new favorite! I love your recipes and beautiful dishes/photography.
oh yes! You know I do love chicken thighs and this dish simply looks breathtaking. I’m a HUGE wild rice fan too but rarely cook with it which is so bizarre but I will remedy that this weekend! I love how creamy this is too. The Viking and I were just discussing how much we prefer creamy dishes to tomato dishes… SO bad but So good!
You’ve set off a Pavlov’s response with these photos, Sue! Gosh, this looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the great recipe.
haha 🙂
Oh boy ! Perfect way to make chicken. You are great ! Thank you !