Oh how I love risotto, a delicious Italian comfort food. Many people think it is difficult to make, but it is totally easy, but you must take your time and be patient. This is not your typical rice, the liquid has to be gradually added and you must stir throughout the process. It takes about 30 minutes to make a basic risotto.
In this recipe I made my own stock a few days ago and saved the chicken for this very dish. See the stock recipe below.
Creamy Chicken, Mushroom & Sun Dried Tomato Risotto
If you want to make your own fresh chicken stock, here it is…real simple folks:
In a soup pot put 1 pound of chicken legs with thighs (about 4), salt, peppercorns, whole onion quartered, 1 rosemary sprig , a few thyme sprigs, 1 bay leaf (I also added some fennel stalks because I had some left over) and water to cover the chicken completely. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and let cool. Strain the stock and discard the herbs and veggies.
For the risotto…….
1 tbsn butter
1 small onion, chopped
5 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
8 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups warm stock
shredded chicken
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 chopped fresh herbs (I used basil, parsley, fennel fronds)
Warm up your stock (whether canned or fresh). In a medium pot saute the onion in the butter for about 3 minutes then add the mushrooms and tomatoes and saute about 3 more minutes. Add the rice and stir until well coated and translucent (about 5 minutes).
Add the shredded chicken and then add the wine and cook until evaporated, then stir in 1 cup of hot stock and simmer gently. When the stock has been absorbed add another cup and continue this way with the remaining cups until all the liquid is absorbed, this will take about 20 minutes — you must stir the rice when adding the liquid, it helps to release the starch to make it nice and creamy.
Stir in the cream and cheese and add chopped herbs and salt to taste. Cover and let sit for about 2 minutes before serving. YUM!
FYI — Risotto is supposed to have a creamy texture. It shouldn’t be hard or sticking to your spoon. The liquids used in this dish must be warmed, if it is cold you will shock the rice, which will flake on the outside and stay hard at the core.
sounds yummy as hell