Creamy Italian Chicken and Wild Rice {Gluten-Free}
It’s the typical weeknight dilemma. We want to eat healthy, delicious meals, but time is scarce. Thankfully you don’t have to sacrifice flavor or quality to fit a nutritious meal into your weekly schedule. This Creamy Italian Chicken and Wild Rice comes together in less than an hour and can be made in one pan for easy cleanup!
The Secret to Faster Wild Rice
Unlike white or even brown rice, wild rice has a much longer cook time. So how are we getting it on the table quickly? Wildly Organic wood parched wild rice cooks in about 20 minutes, so it’s perfect for a quick dinner. To make the process even faster, you can also cook and freeze the rice ahead of time. Batch cooking rice makes it easy to freeze portions and reheat as needed.
Creamy Italian Chicken and Wild Rice Recipe
For this recipe, I made the rice in my pressure cooker (instant pot). It makes perfectly soft, yet slightly chewy rice in less than 15 minutes. Twelve minutes of cook time in the pressure cooker with a quick-release leaves a slight chew on the rice (and was our favorite!). If you want it a little softer, then after cooking allow it to set for five minutes before releasing the pressure.
Chicken breasts are used in a lot of recipes because they’re versatile, but I actually prefer chicken thighs. The dark meat is more flavorful, costs less, and the skin yields a crispy texture to the dish. If you like white meat though, then, by all means, use chicken breast if desired.
The cream cheese adds another level of flavor to the dish and helps cut the acidity from the Italian dressing. However, if your family is avoiding dairy, the cheese can be omitted or replaced with a vegan version. Most pre-packaged vegan cream cheese is made with soy, but this cashew “cream” is a healthy alternative.
The vegetables in this recipe can be quickly chopped while the chicken cooks, but there’s an even faster option. Most stores have pre-chopped bags of frozen onions and bell peppers. These are nice to have on hand to throw into stir-fries, soups, and this creamy Italian chicken and wild rice.
Want more easy weeknight dinners? Make these recipes!
- Hearty paleo beef and mushroom stew
- Easy sheet pan roasted sausage and vegetables
- Instant pot sloppy joes
- Greek-style salad with olive oil dressing in 10 minutes
Have you cooked with wild rice before? Try this delicious Creamy Italian Chicken and Wild Rice for dinner!
- 1 cup Wildly Organic Wood Parched Wild Rice
- 1 and 1/2cups chicken broth or water
- 1/2teaspoon Wildly Organic Himalayan Pink Salt
- 4 chicken thighs(or chicken breasts if desired)
- 1teaspoon Wildly Organic Himalayan Pink Saltor to your preferences
- 1 oniondiced
- 1 bell pepperdiced
- 1cup cherry tomatoeshalved
- 1teaspoon minced garlic about 2-3 cloves
- 1/4 cup Italian dressing
- 4ounces cream cheese
- 1/3 - 1/2cup chicken broth or water
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To make the wood parched wild rice: Put the rice, broth or water, and salt in a pressure cooker (I used an Instant Pot). Set it for 12 minutes and do a quick release when done. For softer rice, allow it to set for 5 minutes after the cooking time before releasing the pressure. If cooking the rice on the stove, then follow the package directions.
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Place a cast-iron skillet over medium heat and allow it to get hot before adding the chicken thighs, skin side down. Season the chicken with some salt, about 1 teaspoon total.
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Turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes uncovered, or until golden brown on the underside. Flip the chicken over and cook for another 12-15 minutes, or until the juices run clear.
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If using chicken breasts, add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil to the pan first. Cook the chicken for about 10 minutes on each side with the lid ON.
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Remove the chicken onto a plate. Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook in the chicken fat for 15 minutes on low heat, uncovered. If you used chicken breast, then add 2 teaspoons of cooking fat to the pan.
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Once the onions and peppers are tender, but not mushy, add the garlic and tomato halves. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure the garlic does not burn.
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Add the sauce ingredients to the pan and stir until everything is melted and combined. Add up to 1/2 cup of water or broth until sauce is the desired consistency. The sauce thickens as it cools.
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Put some rice on a plate, lay a piece of chicken on top, then spoon some sauce over. Enjoy!
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