Onions, garlic and mushrooms are cooked in a skillet then added to a casserole pan. A sauce is made in the same skillet the vegetable were cooked in. Raw rice is added to a casserole dish and topped with the sauce and browned chicken pieces are is placed on top and the pan is covered and baked. The rice cooks in the oven saving you prep time.
I used chicken breasts instead of thighs. Also, I added a garlic and herb seasoning mix to the browning chicken step to add more flavor than just salt and pepper. Dried onion and dried garlic can be used instead of fresh, add to the mushrooms when sautéing them. You don’t have use the sherry or wine, you can use chicken stock instead. Also, I added the Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning and paprika to the sauce while it is the pan. I found this easier than stirring in the casserole dish. You can also use milk instead of cream for the sauce. After the sauce was done, I added the mushrooms and rice to the skillet and stirred the mixture in the skillet. I didn’t trust myself to not dump the mixture over the edge of the casserole dish and make a mess.