Chicken with Wild Rice

1 box Uncle Ben's Long grain and wild rice
     roasted garlic and olive oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 leek, rinsed and chopped
1 can (4 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Cook rice according to package.  In a skillet heat oil.  Add chopped leek.  Sauté stirring occasionally until starting to brown, 2 - 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms and broth.  Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 - 7 minutes.  Sprinkle with flour and whisk to blend.  Add milk and bring to a simmer.  Cook 1 minute stirring constantly.  Add Parmesan cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper.  Remove from heat. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  Evenly spread rice in bottom of pan.  Top with chicken.  Pour sauce over top of chicken, spreading evenly.  Sprinkle with almonds.  Bake until bubbly and almonds are golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Serves 6.

Martha:  The original recipe called for wild rice.  While looking around in my pantry I spotted a box of Uncle Ben's wild rice with garlic and olive oil and decided this might just work.  I was right!  It also called for sherry which I didn't have so I used chicken broth.  That worked too.  Then it called for fresh mushrooms which I was out of so I used canned mushrooms.  It had one more ingredient that I left out completely - green beans.  I just decided not to add them.  It all worked out perfectly because I simply decided to Think With My Taste Buds.

Lillian: I really like all of the ingredients in this recipe and I love green beans, although I can see that they wouldn't be necessary to make this a delicious meal. Instead of adding the green beans, just add a green salad on the side and a nice hot roll or biscuit. Delicious!!!

Food Tester Carol:  A friend of mine always says that you can tell when someone has loved making a special dish. That is the case with this recipe designed by Martha—with ample pieces of tender, moist white chicken meat, Uncle Ben’s wild rice (and the surprise crunchy petite lentils), a foundation flavor of leeks, garlic and just enough parmesan to pull all of the varied flavors together. Each component on its own is appealing but it was the imagination of one who loves cooking that reached beyond to pull in the unexpected flavor of the parmesan which blends them all together into a perfectly balanced and palate pleasing dish!

Tip:  If you're trying to eat healthier and maybe even lose some weight, remember to remove all the skin and fat from your chicken before freezing.  After removing the skin and fat, lay each piece individually on a baking sheet, cover and place in the freezer.  After my chicken is frozen I place my chicken breasts individually in freezer bags.  This allows me to pick out as much or as little for the dish I'm cooking.