Baked Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

The Italians did a lot of things right in the kitchen - one of which was figuring out that adding butter, wine, and cheese can make a typical side dish like rice into a mouthwatering meal. Risotto may seem intimidating but as long as you have the ingredients and the time to spare, this delicious and creamy dish is totally attainable.



Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients
1 cup arborio rice
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup cold water
1 cup dry white wine
75 grams butter
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 brown onion, diced
1 chicken breast, sliced thinly or cubed
150 grams (1.5 cups) sliced mushroom
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
ground black pepper, to taste
100 grams shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped chives

Method

Heat oil in fry pan on high with 1 clove of minced garlic and a little bit of ground pepper. Sear the sliced or cubed chicken breast, less than a minute on each side of the pieces. Do not cook all the way through, this will keep the chicken juicy when it gets baked later. Set aside on plate.

Add half the butter to the pan as well as another clove of minced garlic and more pepper. Once butter has melted, added sliced mushrooms to the pan and brown for 4-5 minutes. Mushrooms need their space to achieve their golden brown goal so leave at least a centimetre between each. If you're using a small pan, you may need to do multiple rounds of mushrooms but, trust me, it's worth it. Set aside on plate.

Add remainder of the butter, garlic, and the onion to the pan. Once butter has melted and the onion has softened to a clearish colour, add arborio rice to the pan. Allow the rice to toast in the pan for approximately 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and stir occasionally while the rice absorbs the liquid.

After approximately 3 minutes, when most of the liquid has evaporated, combine the contents of the pan with the simmered stock mixture in an oven-proof dish. I recommend setting aside 1/4-1/3 cup of the stock mixture in case your risotto needs a little extra moisture after baking for awhile. Stir in chicken and mushrooms.


While you wait, I recommend using the time to prep a simple balsamic vinaigrette salad or steam some broccoli florets (2-3 minutes over boiling water) to complement your main.

At this point, the rice should have absorbed all the liquid so remove from oven and taste to check that rice has become tender. If not, add the extra stock mixture, cover and return to oven for 5-10 additional minutes. If the risotto is tender, stir in parmesan cheese (as a cheese fanatic, I like to add a little bit of shredded asiago and romano cheese), chives, and ground pepper to preference. Return the dish to the oven, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.


Categories
#risotto
#dinner
#italian
#rice
#chicken
#mushrooms

%recipeyum