Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

This isn’t the first time I have made risotto, but it didn’t turn out nearly as good as this recipe did.  I knew the basic idea of it, slowly boil rice with stock until creamy and tender.  This needed to be quite savory since it was going to be as a main and not a side dish.  Big slices of mushroom, thick chunks of chicken, and creamy rice.  An ideal meal to welcome fall.  This recipe makes a perfect portion for a main dish for two, and is easily doubled for a family size meal.   It is my new favorite dinner, well for the next few weeks until I try some other combination or a new dish.  Don’t be afraid of risotto, I have a few tips to come out with perfect risotto without broken rice bits or it turning glugie and like oatmeal rather than a lovely creamy rice dish.  Once you get comfortable with the basic risotto you can add in anything you want in any combination you would like, it’s open to many possibilities.

The fundamental of risotto is simple.  Slowly cook the rice by adding a little bit of liquid at a time turning it into creamy happiness.  With the use of a second pan you save time by cooking the mushrooms and chicken with spices.  The amount of stock used in the rice will vary so in the recipe I give a range of cups to use.  I used two kinds of cheese, romano and parmesan.  I felt that the parmesan makes it too salty and the romano just perfectly balances it out, being a slightly milder hard cheese.  A great thing about this dish is it comes together in under 30 minutes.  You can have a hearty meal in no time, which is what most of us need.  You’re often tired by the time you get off work, you’ve battled traffic, and when you finally get home you don’t want to invest too much time in dinner. Want to spend that time in more productive ways, like making dessert?

Chicken with Artichokes in White Wine

I came up with this based off of another similar recipe that has mushrooms and it is very close, but I made a few modifications to it due to what I had on hand.  It was a perfect quick and healthy weeknight meal.  It has tons of flavor, and it also made for great lunch for work the next day as left overs.  I cannot tell you how insanely soft this chicken turned out,  and letting it rest after cooking was key to making it taste amazing and making a very tender piece of meat.

Chicken, Pepper, and Mushroom Crostini

All I can say is yum!  I made this as a quick weeknight main course with a side salad.  I think originally I came up with it to try as an appetizer when I was going to have some guests over, but it ended up working out as a quick small meal as well.  I work retail so some nights if I close the store down then I am not home till 10pm or later and typically starving!  This is quick and easy and can make as much or as little as needed the recipe is easily adaptable to accommodate your immediate needs.  I only cook for two and always tend to have just one chicken breast in a baggie in the fridge begging to be cooked.  All the ingredients I tend to have on-hand so just swinging by Byerly’s on the way home and picking up a mini loaf or two of a crunchy baguette, make this a weeknight favorite.

Chicken, Pepper, and Mushroom Crostini

• 6-8 slices of a Baguette, diagonally sliced
• 1 Chicken Breast, cut in half and into 1″ x 1/4″ strips
• 1 tbps olive oil
• 1 Shallot, minced
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
• 2 Green Onions, diced
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Portobello Mushroom, or 3 Baby Bella Mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 1/2 Bell Pepper, thinly sliced into 1″ strips, I use orange or yellow
• 4 Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, quartered
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1/4 Mozzarella Ball shredded into tiny pieces
• 1 tsp chopped Italian Parsley
• Olive Oil to drizzle

 

Turn oven onto 450° F.   Turn your pan on to med-high heat and before you put in the oil make sure it passes the water test, if using stainless steel, before putting in the oil. Slice the Baguette and place on cookie sheet, set off to side.  By now your pan should pass the water test, add in the oil and when hot add the garlic, shallots, and green onions, saute lightly till onions are opaque.  Add the chicken and when lightly cooked and you can still see pink, add seasonings.    Toss in the mushrooms, and brown lightly with the chicken.  Once the mushrooms and chicken are lightly browned, add in the peppers, once they take on a bright color turn off the head and toss in the tomatoes, stir around and taste again.  Add Salt & Pepper as needed, maybe more of the seasonings, a pinch at a time.  Always taste, that’s the fun part of cooking! When the seasoning tastes well to you, spoon on top of the baguette slices and sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella.  Place in oven and bake for 10-15 min until the bread looks browned on the bottom edges.  Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with the parsley, and then top with a light olive oil drizzle.  Let cool for 2-3 min and serve semi-hot!

 

Adapted from: Meadow Mushroom