Chicken and mushroom risotto

Risotto is a solid, reliable dish that most people like. Contrary to popular belief, it is actually very easy to make and does not require that you stand at the stove stirring from start to finish. Give this one a try for a simple, delicious, restaurant quality weeknight meal. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 75g bacon 
• 350g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite size pieces
• 400g mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 125ml white wine
• 250g arborio rice 
• 1 litre chicken stock
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Extra butter
• Freshly chopped parsley

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add bacon and transfer to plate once cooked. Repeat with chicken and mushrooms.

2. Turn heat down to medium and return pan to the stove. Add butter, garlic, and onion and sauté for 3 minutes or until tender. Increase heat to high, add rice and stir until partially translucent, around 1 minute.

3. Add wine and cook for 2 minutes, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. Turn heat down to medium-low and add about 3 cups of stock. Leave uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

4. Continue to add ½ cup of stock at a time, stirring until absorbed, until the rice is cooked to your taste.

5. Add chicken and mushrooms back into the risotto at the end to heat through, and add an extra dash of stock to make the risotto more liquid, then remove from the heat.

6. Add extra butter and parmesan, and stir through. Garnish with bacon and parsley and serve immediately.