Chicken, Mushroom, and Brown Rice Slow Cooker Casserole (WW, 5 P+)

This is an awesome, homey chicken and rice casserole that can be done in the slow cooker. It's got tons of flavor and stays moist b/c of the dark meat. The whole family really enjoyed this one!! 5 Points Plus for 1/8 of the recipe.

• 8 thigh uncooked boneless, skinless chicken thigh(s), about 2 1/2 oz each
• 2 cup(s) canned chicken broth, reduced-sodium
• 1/2 pound(s) cremini mushroom(s), sliced
• 1 cup(s) uncooked leek(s), white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced, washed carefully for grit
• 1 cup(s) uncooked carrot(s), thinly sliced
• 1 cup(s) uncooked celery, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup(s) uncooked brown rice, medium-grain (such as brown Arborio)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

• Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; warm over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and brown, turning once, about 6 minutes; set aside.
  
• Combine the remaining ingredients in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker; nestle the chicken thighs in the mixture. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Yields 1 chicken thigh and about 2/3 cup rice-vegetable mixture per serving.

Notes

• Although a slow cooker takes most of the work out of cooking, there’s still no getting around the fact that browned meat adds more flavor to a stew, braise or casserole. Although this recipe calls for the meat to be browned in a separate skillet, there are slow cookers on the market that have inserts that can go right from the stovetop to the cooker — and that means there’s one less pan to clean up.