Wild Rice Dressing with Roasted Chestnuts and Cranberries
The nutty, almost smoky flavor of wild rice pairs beautifully with game birds and other poultry.
The nutty, almost smoky flavor of wild rice pairs beautifully with game birds and other poultry.
I've made this recipe a handful of times and it never disappoints. It's simple, relatively easy and really flavorful. I've made it once with chestnuts (that were expensive and hard to find!) and actually like it better without them. Don't skip the fresh herbs -- they make the dish!
I was really disappointed in this. For a relatively lot of money and work, it came out totally bland, in my opinion. I followed the recipe exactly, except that it took much longer to make the wild rice tender than is written. I brought it to a work Thanksgiving potluck and by the end of the lunch, most of this dressing was still in the bowl. Not a big hit for me or any of my colleagues either.
Used 4c of veg broth instead of 2c chicken broth + 2c water and subbed pecans for the chestnuts (couldn't find em anywhere). Fantastic, guests asked for the recipe.
I made a recipe for 3 for two of us and definitely could have made a recipe for 2 - it made enough for 4+ as a side. If I were to make a recipe for two I would increase the amount of veggies, cranberries and chestnuts. No where near enough liquid for the rice to cook until done. All in all the dish lacks flavor. I didn't buy fresh sage so used a small amount of dried but I don't think fresh would have made much difference. There a lot of steps and its somewhat time consuming.
WONDERFUL recipe! My picky eater friend gobbled it up at Thanksgiving. My friends with food restrictions loved it. This recipe is at the top of the list to use when entertaining.
I made this using chestnuts the first time and decided to substitute pecans the second because 1) My family didn't really like the chestnuts and 2) they are expensive and difficult to find. The family prefers the pecans and they pair nicely with the cranberries. That said, this dish is beautiful on your holiday table. It makes a ton so I made with the holiday leftovers I made Creamy Wild-Rice Soup with Smoked Turkey, . I just put the whole leftover dressing in the soup. I will definitely be making this a third time.
I thought this was very good but not sure it's worth the expense to include the chestnuts. I might substitute some other kind of nuts next time. I personally don't care for sage so may skip that next time too. It also takes longer than 40 minutes to cook wild rice and more than 4 cups liquid for two cups rice. I added 1 1/4 cups more water and cooked at least 50 minutes. Overall though this is a nice flavorful, colorful wild rice dish that can easily be made ahead of time.
Very good. Served at Thanksgiving and guests asked for the recipe. Making again for Christmas. I cooked the wild rice 45-47 min. to get it more tender. Also added a cup of white basmati rice.
Excellent! No substitutions are necessary! It's also great that you can make ahead of time and reheat b4 serving. The chesnuts really add to the recipe ... it's really worth the extra cost. You can find them at Whole Foods and Fresh Market. This is one of new favorites. Thanks for the recipe!!
I also did not use the chestnuts. I could not find them at the store. I did like this quite a bit. Thanks for a great sub. for stuffing!! I will make this again.
Loved this! I made it without the chestnuts due to two of our guests not being able to have nuts. Tasted like a stuffing but in a rice form...it was a unique dish that I will make throughout the year. Enjoyed by all.
Took this dish to a potluck with a group of very good cooks. It earned rave reviews. I used vegie stock rather than chicken, added a leak to the chopped yellow onion, and used a wildrice blend rather than all wildrice. I will make it again next week for Thanksgiving. It would be easy to make ahead and reheat. The roasted chestnuts were quite a splurge at nearly $8 for the bottle. I think that sauteed crimini mushrooms might provide a similar flavor and texture at a more economical price.