Feeding a Crowd

Tonight I needed a lot of food to feed a crowd.  Good thing I remembered a recipe from a cookbook I got as a wedding gift 25 years ago.  It takes some time to make, but it will serve many people, and, like me, you might have leftovers for another day.  Best of all, everyone loves it!

Chicken, Sausage and Wild Rice

(from Virginia Seasons:  New Recipes from the Old Dominion)

1 pound pork sausage

1 pound mushrooms, sliced (I used Cremini)

1 large onion, chopped

4 to 5 chicken breasts, cooked, boned, and cut up in bite-size pieces

1 6-ounce box Uncle Ben's Wild and Long Grain Rice 

OR

6 ounces long grain rice prepared with 12 ounces water

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

pinch each of oregano, thyme and marjoram

Saute sausage in a large skillet or Dutch oven; drain and set aside.  In the same skillet coated with the fat from the sausage, saute mushrooms and onions until limp; add sausage and chicken and set aside.  Cook wild rice according to package directions.  Mix flour with heavy cream in a medium saucepan until smooth; add chicken broth and cook until thickened.  Add seasonings and combine with rice, sausage, chicken, and vegetables.  Put in a greased carrerole dish and bake 30 to 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Serves 10 to 12.  You can also make this ahead of time and freeze it.