Recipe

Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Gratin with Crisp Almonds

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Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Gratin with Crisp Almonds

Photo by Chef James

  • This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Broccoli/Broccoli Rabe Dish
  • Chef

    Chef James's Notes: Let's face it, gratin is just a fancy name for all of those casseroles Mom used to make, good or bad. I remember a broccoli, cheddar cheese and rice casserole that my Mom used to make. Unfortunately...

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Serves 4-6

  1. Preheat oven to 325˚. Combine the butter and chopped bacon in saucepot. Cook over a medium until the bacon is browned and rendered. Add the onions and broccoli; sweat until tender. Add the rice and saute briefly to coat with the fat. Add the stock, stir thoroughly and bring the mixture to a simmer. DO NOT stir again. Cover with a lid and place in oven for 12 minutes. Remove the rice from the oven and turn out into a gratin or casserole dish. Spread into the thinnest layer possible and cool completely.

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  2. Blanch the broccoli to tender, refresh under cold water and set aside to drain completely.

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  3. Roast or poach the chicken breast to cook through. Discard the skin and pull all of the meat from the bones.

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  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk and mustard. Add the chicken, rice and cheese. Mix well, season to taste and return to the gratin dish. Spread into an even layer in the dish, cover with the almonds. Bake in a preheated 425˚ oven for 7-10 until well browned on top and bubbling.

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5 Comments on Cheesy Broccoli, Chicken and Rice Gratin with Crisp Almonds

Pamelalee Reply

I made this for dinner last night, and it was delicious. My husband is not a broccoli fan, so it was a nice way to slip in this veggie. I liked that you included the stems as well as the florets. (Actually, that's my favorite part of broccoli....I trim off the outer skin,, slice them diagonally, and munch on them raw.) We also loved the addition of bacon. As AntoniaJames suggested, I used brown rice and increased the cooking time in step 1 to 35 minutes.

Reply

Ooo! This looks like the perfect recipe to get rid of all the broccoli we got in our CSA this week. And I'll bet I can put it all together, bake half and freeze half of it for later. Thanks for sharing.

5333_1131123850498_1599312935_306955_3095025_n Reply

Hmmm, if you could find any cheddar it would be fine. But if I were in France, I'd make this with a creamy goat cheese or a mild gruyere. Where in France are you?

Babette_s_feast Reply

Great recipe, thanks for posting. Do you know what a sharp cheddar cheese would be in France?

New_years_kitchen_hlc_only Reply

Mmmm, this looks like good, honest comfort food. I'm making this next week but will defy the Junior League a bit more, and use brown rice, because I know it will taste even better . . . Thank you so much for posting this!

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