Chicken, mushroom and spinach risotto
19th January 2018I love the rich, creamy taste of risotto, with rice so sticky it’s almost as if it would cling to your ribs.
But despite being a huge fan of the dish I’ve only ever made it once.
I’ve always been put off by the amount of time it takes to make (I had convinced myself it would take hours) and I always had visions of ruining a pan when a momentary lapse in concentration would result in half the rice stuck to the bottom.
So, despite my fears, I was determined to give it a go this week – and I’m pretty impressed with the results.
Chicken and mushroom is a classic combination. In a previous life I was more familiar with those flavours wrapped in pastry and bearing the name Ginsters on the label, but times have changed. I also added some spinach to give it a bit of colour.
Perhaps somewhat controversially, I haven’t used white wine in this recipe. I know it’s the traditional way to make risotto but I’m omitting it to keep the calories down at just over 500 per serving. Incredible scenes.
If you’ve never made risotto before (I can’t be the only one) then I urge you to give it a shot.
As with all of my recipes, this freezes and can be defrosted in the fridge and then reheated in the microwave so it’s ideal for a weeknight meal. Just add a wee splash of water before reheating to add some extra stickiness.
Heat the oil in a large pan then sauté the onion for several minutes until translucent - but not browned.
Add the garlic and rice, then stir to coat the rice with oil.
Pour the chicken stock slowly into the pan one slash at a time and stir frequently. Only add the next wee bit of stock once the previous amount is nearly all absorbed by the rice. Be sure to stir the rice constantly during this process - and put on some music, it can take about 40-50 minutes before the rice absorbs all of the stock.
When the rice is almost done add the mushrooms and last ladleful of stock.
When the rice is cooked, stir through the cooked chicken and baby spinach.
Once the chicken is heated through, serve in bowls and top with parmesan cheese and pepper.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the oil in a large pan then sauté the onion for several minutes until translucent - but not browned.
Add the garlic and rice, then stir to coat the rice with oil.
Pour the chicken stock slowly into the pan one slash at a time and stir frequently. Only add the next wee bit of stock once the previous amount is nearly all absorbed by the rice. Be sure to stir the rice constantly during this process - and put on some music, it can take about 40-50 minutes before the rice absorbs all of the stock.
When the rice is almost done add the mushrooms and last ladleful of stock.
When the rice is cooked, stir through the cooked chicken and baby spinach.
Once the chicken is heated through, serve in bowls and top with parmesan cheese and pepper.
