I have always been intimidated to try to conquer the makings of risotto. Is that crazy or what?! I think it has something to do with Chef Ramsay screaming “You messed up the risotto!!!” on Hell’s Kitchen! Well, my brother has experience with this dish and with his guidance we made a hearty & delicious meal! Here’s what we came up with! Try it out!
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Tip: Buy a rotisserie chicken instead and chop breast meat only. Saves a lot of time!)
16 oz chicken stock
3 tbsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium sweet onions, chopped
1-1/2 cup short grain rice (arborio rice)
1 quart baby bella mushrooms, half minced, half quartered
12 oz sweet peas
3 tbsp butter substitute (I prefer Benecol spread)
2 cups parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Put a splash of olive oil into a large skillet. Saute chicken until browned on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet, cover and set aside.
Bring chicken stock to boil in a medium sauce pan. Brown garlic in oil over medium heat in skillet. Add onions and cook until about half way to the desired final consistency. Salt and pepper lightly. Add rice and stir mixture until oil is practically absorbed. Slightly lower burner temperature; Take your time with this part. The longer it takes, the better it tastes! Add enough boiling stock to nearly submerge rice. Stir and allow rice to absorb stock. Repeat until rice is to desired bite, I prefer it al dente but you can cook your risotto how you like. Now, if you start to run low on stock, just add some water to the boiling stock. No one will know the difference.
Sauté minced and quartered mushrooms separately in butter and set aside. Warm sweet peas and set aside. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.
Once the rice is finished, remove from heat. Mix butter, cheese, minced mushrooms, and chicken into the rice mixture. Extra salt, cheese, or butter to taste. Top with quartered mushrooms, peas, and grated cheese.
Don’t forget to add love, it makes all the difference!