Recipe: Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

This is a great meal for occasions when everyone will be eating at different times. Often the kids eat early, me a bit later, and then Ben when he gets home from work.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2.5 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 piece skinless chicken breast (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
• 5.5 cups chicken stock (heated)
• 1.5 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 large chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup cream (optional)
• 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
• oil

Method:

• In a large pot heat oil and add mushrooms and chicken and cook through until cooked. Remove from pot.
• Using the same pot, add butter and saute onions and garlic in butter and leftover oil mixture until translucent. Add the rice and stir until the rice turns opaque – about two minutes. (Picture 1)
• Add the wine, salt and pepper to the rice and stir frequently until the wine has been absorbed into the rice.
• Add 1/2 cup of the heated chicken stock and stir frequently until absorbed. The rice and broth should bubble gently.
• Continue to cook the rice, adding chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time and allowing the rice to absorb it before adding the next 1/2 cup.
• Cook rice this way until tender which should take about 25-30 minutes. (Picture 3)
• Just before the last batch of stock has been absorbed into the rice, add the chicken and mushroom mixture back into the pot. Stir through.
• Add 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, the parsley and the cream and stir through. (Picture 3)
• Remove from heat when all the remaining stock has been absorbed and the risotto mix is a thick creamy consistency.
• Serve immediately. Add the remaining parmesan to each serve. (Picture 4)

TIP: For extra flavour you can add some chopped bacon at the same time as you saute the onion and garlic.