Festive Wild Rice with Roasted Chestnuts and Cranberries

5 / 6 votes

This healthy Thanksgiving side dish features nutty wild rice, tender roasted chestnuts, and sweet-tart cranberries. It’s naturally gluten-free and can be prepared ahead of time, making it perfect for stress-free holiday entertaining.

Print Recipe

• 1 1/4 pounds (about 1 1/2 cups peeled) fresh chestnuts*
• 2 cups wild rice
• 2 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth, plus more as needed
• 2 cups water, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
• 3/4 cup dried apricots, quartered
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 large stalks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 10 oz yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Prepare the Chestnuts: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack positioned in the center. Carefully score the flat side of each chestnut with a large “x” using a sharp paring knife, ensuring you cut through both the outer shell and the inner brown skin. Place the scored chestnuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast them for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with a fork.
• Once roasted, allow the chestnuts to cool slightly until they are warm enough to handle comfortably. Using a sharp paring knife, peel away both the outer shell and the inner brown skin. Discard any chestnuts that appear spoiled or rotten. If any chestnuts are difficult to peel, simply rewarm them briefly in the 400°F (200°C) oven and try again. Halve the shelled chestnuts and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) for later use.
• Cook the Wild Rice: In a medium saucepan, combine the wild rice, chicken stock, water, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the saucepan partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the wild rice is tender yet still has a slight chew, typically 40 to 50 minutes. Monitor the liquid level; add more stock or water if it becomes too dry, or drain any excess liquid once the rice is tender.
• Prepare Dried Fruits: While the wild rice cooks, place the dried cranberries and quartered apricots in a small bowl. Pour hot water over them to cover completely and let them plump for about 20 minutes. Drain the softened fruits thoroughly and set them aside.
• Sauté the Aromatics: In a large 12-inch sauté pan, melt 4 tablespoons of the unsalted butter over medium heat, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the finely chopped celery, carrots, and onion. Sauté these vegetables until they are soft and lightly browned, which should take approximately 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the fresh thyme, sage, and parsley, and continue to sauté for just 1 minute longer to release their aromatic oils. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Combine and Season: Once the wild rice is tender, drain it well in a sieve and transfer it to the sautéed vegetables in the large pan. Add the reserved halved chestnuts, plumped cranberries, and apricots. Stir gently to combine all the ingredients evenly. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a few generous grinds of fresh black pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed to suit your preference.
• Make Ahead Option: At this point, the wild rice mixture can be prepared up to 1 day in advance. Simply cool it completely, cover tightly, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before baking and increase the baking time to at least 45 minutes to ensure it is thoroughly heated through.
• Bake and Serve: Approximately 30 minutes before you plan to serve, spoon the wild rice mixture into a baking dish that has been lightly slicked with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Cover the dish securely with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven until the wild rice is heated through, about 30 minutes (or longer if baking from refrigerated). Serve this delightful side dish directly from the casserole dish, hot and aromatic.

*How To Substitute Peeled Chestnuts

For convenience, you can opt for pre-peeled chestnuts, which are available in vacuum-sealed packages, cans, or jars at many specialty food stores. If they are packed in liquid, ensure you drain them thoroughly before use. Prepared chestnuts are often boiled rather than roasted, which can result in a slight flavor difference. To enhance their earthy sweetness and bring out a more roasted flavor, spread them on a rimmed baking sheet and roast them in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 12 to 14 minutes before incorporating them into the recipe. This extra step significantly improves their taste and texture, bringing them closer to fresh roasted chestnuts.

Recipe Adapted From

The Christmas Table

Purchase On Amazon

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

Melissa Maedgen

The combination of wild rice and chestnuts is truly superb, guaranteeing this dish will be a winner at any meal. Adding fresh herbs and dried fruit elevates it to a truly festive creation. The fact that you can prepare it a day in advance and simply bake it the next day makes this pilaf an absolute triumph for holiday entertaining, freeing up valuable time on the day itself. A helpful note: you’ll likely need at least 12 ounces of uncooked wild rice to yield the 2 cups required for this recipe, so plan accordingly if your rice comes in smaller packages. Also, it’s wise to purchase a few extra chestnuts, as some may need to be discarded.

The cooking time for the wild rice is the longest part of the process, taking about 10 minutes to boil and then 40 minutes to simmer. It makes perfect sense to start the rice first. While the rice is simmering, you can efficiently prep and roast the chestnuts. The dried fruit requires soaking for a similar duration to the chestnut roasting time, so you can easily manage these two steps simultaneously. The vegetables (celery, carrots, onion) can be prepped and sautéed in the 20 minutes the chestnuts roast and fruit rehydrates. Afterward, it’s mainly an assembly task, and the dish can be baked immediately or saved for the following day.

In my test, the wild rice wasn’t fully tender after 40 minutes of simmering, and as the recipe advised, some liquid remained, which I drained. However, the rice became perfectly puffed and tender during the final baking phase, resulting in a flawless finished dish. I would comfortably call this 8 servings, especially when offered alongside a variety of other dishes.

Pat Francis

This wild rice dish is a truly festive holiday side, serving as a beautiful alternative to traditional bread stuffing or dressing. It looks stunning both on the holiday table and as a vibrant component on the plate. The earthy nuttiness of the slightly chewy wild rice, combined with the sweet and tart notes from the fruits, works together harmoniously. The tender, crumbly sweetness of the chestnuts adds another delightful layer of flavor and texture that truly makes this dish special.

While preparing the chestnuts and cooking the wild rice are somewhat labor and time-intensive, respectively, the holidays are precisely the time to indulge in such efforts! (In truth, this flavorful combination would be excellent at any time of year if you’re willing to invest the cost and effort, especially since frozen raw or jarred pre-cooked chestnuts are available when fresh ones are out of season.)

It requires meticulous work and a very sharp paring knife to score the “x” on the flat sides of the chestnuts. I’ve found that the larger the “x,” the easier it is to peel the chestnuts once they’ve come out of the oven and cooled just enough to handle. I didn’t need to return any stubborn chestnuts to the oven, but I did encounter several that were unfortunately bad and had to be discarded, emphasizing the need for a few extra. I opted for reduced-sugar Craisins in my preparation. This dish was served alongside breaded pork chops, a classic whole berry cranberry sauce, and cauliflower with cheese sauce. Everything presented beautifully together on the plate.

Shauna Hinchen-Joyal

This wild rice with roasted chestnuts definitely improves overnight, allowing the delicious herb flavors a chance to fully meld and settle into the dish. Initially, I found the rice tasted a bit mild, and I craved more depth of flavor. I believe incorporating some minced shallots or additional garlic during the sautéing process would help to further enhance the overall taste profile of the recipe, providing that extra layer of complexity. Peeling the roasted chestnuts, as expected, proved to be the most labor-intensive aspect of preparing this recipe.