Farmer’s Harvest Casserole
Inspired by a farmhouse kitchen with earthy vegetables, juicy chicken, and nutty rice, all nestled together under a sprinkle of toasted almonds. It’s comforting without being heavy, and the flavours gather themselves as they roast: caramelised sprouts, sweet potato that softens into little amber pockets, and chicken that stays succulent thanks to the rice absorbing all the cooking juices.
How long will it take?
1 hour
What’s the serving size?
Serves 4
What do I need?
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 500 g chicken breast, cut into 3–4 cm chunks
- 300 g Brussels sprouts, halved
- 350 g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2–3 cm cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup flaked almonds
- Extra thyme or parsley, chopped (optional for garnish)
How do I make it?
- Rinse rice under cold water.
- Add rice and stock to a medium saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until tender but still nutty.
- Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Place chicken, Brussels sprouts and sweet potato into a large roasting dish or oven-safe pan.
- Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle over smoked paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
- Roast for 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven, add cooked rice, and gently fold everything together.
- Return to oven for a further 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sprouts have bronzed at the edges.
- In a dry frying pan over medium heat, toast flaked almonds until pale gold and fragrant. Keep a close eye — they turn quickly.
- Scatter toasted almonds over the casserole and sprinkle with fresh herbs before serving.
