I was all flustered from cooking a mushroom risotto dish by the time I sat down at the dinner table at a Christmas get-together. The mushroom risotto didn’t turned out as I had expected and took way too long to prepare. Then I saw a similar dish brought by Hsiao Ting’s brother-in-law Johnson. I took a bite and wow! It was light, fluffy and very tasty. I asked how he prepared it and it was simple 5 steps: cook rice, cook chicken, pour alfredo sauce, cover with swiss cheese, and bake. Johnson has kindly shared his ‘secret’ recipe and gave me permission to publish. I think the ‘secret’ is the use of basmati rice that made it so delightful. We are a family of mushroom fans, I added mushroom and also fried the rice before baking. Its super tasty. Thank you Johnson!

• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Fried Rice

• 2 cups basmati rice
• water to cook rice
• 1 cup fresh green peas
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black peper
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 eggs, beaten

Chicken Mushroom Alfredo

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 chicken thighs, cut into 1-in chunks
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 10 oz shitake mushroom, sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 15 oz alfredo sauce
• 4 slices swiss cheese
• 1 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Fried Rice

1. Prepare the rice the day before. Wash and cook basmati rice in a rice cooker using the amount of water according to rice cooker instructions. Rake the rice when cooked. Cool and chill in the refrigerator until ready to cook the next day.
2. Prepare fried rice. Melt the butter over medium high heat in a wok. Add the chopped onions and fry until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and fry for another minute or two until garlic and onions start to brown.
3. Add the green peas, fry for another 2 minutes until the peas are cooked.
4. Turn up the heat and add in the chilled rice. Fry with two spatula until all the grains are loosened.
5. Push the rice to the side of the wok and make a well in the middle.
6. Add the beaten eggs, scramble within the well. Cover the eggs with the rice for half a minute and then continue to fry with the two spatula until the rice and egg are loose and fluffy.  Stir in the salt and pepper.
7. Stir in the chopped parsley and cilantro. Turn off heat.
8. Transfer the rice into a 10-in oven-proof serving dish.

Chicken and Mushroom Alfredo

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Season the chicken chunks with salt and pepper for half an hour.
3. Heat olive oil in the wok over medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and fry until onion starts to turn brown.
4. Add the sliced mushrooms and chicken chunks and fry until the chicken is cooked.
5. Add the alfredo sauce and stir for a minute.
6. Pour the chicken and sauce over the fried rice.
7. Cover the top with four slices of swiss cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
8. Bake in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and cheese turned golden brown.
9. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.