Chicken, Mushroom, and Brown Rice Casserole

Please forgive me for this dish.

I know it does not look very appetizing...but it really and truly is delicious!

What makes it even more delicious, to me anyway, is the local ingredient!

LOL!!

I FINALLY was able to make it out to the Farmer's Market out here.

And you know what?? In Texas, the Farmer's Market doesn't close! Isn't that great?? I'm used to them having to shut down for the winter season. But this one doesn't!

Probably because it doesn't ever really get cold here.

Anyway, last weekend I was finally able to make it out there. Granted, I went about an hour before they were supposed to close up shop. But I was still able to get a pound of some beautiful Baby Bella mushrooms.

Now, The Hubble HATES mushrooms. I, on the other hand, LOVE them!

So while he is gone, I need to get my fill of dishes made with these beautiful gems. What better way than to center an entire dish around them??

This dish was perfect! And healthy! Which is something I'm striving for lately.

Hey, I've lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks! So I'm definitely enjoying the healthy train! LOL!!

Anyway, onto the dish! Let's cook!

Cook the chicken in a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil until cooked all the way through.

Remove the chicken from the pan, add a bit more olive oil, then add in the mushrooms and cook them up a bit.

Add in the onion and garlic, cook that until the onion is translucent.

Add back in the chicken.

Now remove the whole thing from the heat and stir in the brown rice.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper until smooth. Then add 1/2 a cup of Parmesan cheese.

Stir in the rice mixture until well blended.

Pour the mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle with most of the remaining Parmesan cheese.

Cover the dish with foil and bake it up for about 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes or so, or until the top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Let stand about 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!!!

Chicken, Mushroom, and Brown Rice Casserole
Adapted from Annie's Eats

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Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pound brown mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped (I used Baby Bellas)
• 1 large onion, largely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups cooked brown rice, cooled to room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup reduced fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, divided

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with baking spray. 
2. Heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the chicken until white inside and the juice runs clear. Remove from pan.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in the same pan then add the mushrooms. Cooke the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid, about 5-7 minutes. 
4. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender, about 4-5 minutes. 
5. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
6. Add back in the chicken and stir until combined.
7. Remove from the heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir to combine.
8. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper until smooth.
9. Stir in 1/2 a cup of the Parmesan cheese. 
10. Add in the rice mixture and stir gently until well blended. 
11. Pour the mixture into the baking dish and smooth the top with a spoon or spatula.
12. Sprinkle most of the remaining Parmesan over the top, reserving a bit for finishing. 
13. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. 
14. Remove the foil and bake for 20-30 minutes more, until the top is lightly browned. 
15. Top with remaining Parmesan.
16. Let stand about 10 minutes.
17. Serve and enjoy!!