Chicken & Mushroom Risotto

Absolutely one of the best risottos I have made. It is a creamy risotto guaranteed to make you groan in delight when eating it. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. The most time consuming part is all the stirring - but its good for the arms!!

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons butter
• 2 1⁄2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 -2  piece skinless chicken breast (cut into 1/2 inch pieces, if you hagve a large piece, then 1 piece will be sufficient)
• 5 1⁄2 cups  chicken stock (heated)
• 1 1⁄2 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
•  salt & pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot heat oil and add mushrooms and chicken and cook through until cooked. Remove from pot.
2. 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.
3. Add the wine, salt and pepper to the rice and stir frequently until the wine has been absorbed into the rice.
4. Add 1/2 cup of the heated chicken stock and stir frequently until absorbed. The rice and broth should bubble gently.
5. 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.
6. Cook rice this way until tender which should take about 25-30 minutes.
7. 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.
8. Add 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, the parsley and the cream and stir through.
9. Remove from heat when all the remaining stock has been absorbed and the risotto mix is a thick creamy consistency.
10. Serve immediately. The remaining parmesan can be added to each serve if requested.