Chicken Mushroom Risotto

I really love Italian food, and I hate giving it up because I can't eat gluten and potatoes. Someday I will figure out how to make gnocchi with neither ingredient in it. Someday. Until then, I will stick with a food that requires very little (if any) alteration to make it edible for me: risotto.

If you haven't made risotto before, it's worth doing a little reading on before you try. The key ingredients in my opinion are: 1) patience; 2) stirring.  This is not a dish that can cook unattended; you need to stand at the stove and continue to stir while the liquid is absorbed into the rice. The stirring motion releases starch from the rice, which in turn creates the unique texture and flavor of risotto.

I chose to use a rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods (certified gluten free!) to make the stock and provide the cooked chicken. I stripped the bird of meat and let the carcass simmer in 10 cups of water, along with carrots, celery, and onions for 1.5 hours. I strained the liquid and had plenty of stock for this dish, with some leftover for future use as well. If you are short on time and are able to eat chicken stock from the store (I can't because it has additives), that will work too. You could also buy raw chicken and saute or bake it beforehand rather than using rotisserie chicken.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 large portabello mushrooms
• 1 small onion
• garlic
• 1.5 c. arborio rice
• .5 c. white cooking wine
• 5.5 c. chicken stock
• ~2 chicken breasts, cooked
• olive oil
• .5 c. parmesan cheese
• cream (optional)
• salt, pepper, parsley

Directions:

1. Prepare the chicken and chicken stock (see above). The stock needs to be hot when it's added to the cooking process, so consider keeping it enclosed in a bowl.

2. Chop the mushrooms into 1" pieces and saute gently in olive oil. Once the mushrooms are cooked, set them aside.

3. Add more oil to the pan and gently saute one small chopped onion, the arborio rice, and garlic to taste. You should have the stovetop on medium-high; be careful not to burn the rice. The goal is to make it crisp and a little golden.

4.  Add .5 c white cooking wine along with salt and pepper to taste. Stir until the wine is cooked up into the rice. This part smells delicious!

5. Start adding the hot chicken broth into the rice, one cup at a time. After you add each cup, stir the rice until the broth is soaked into the rice. This will take several minutes per cup of liquid. The rule of thumb is that once you can draw the spoon across the rice and make a clean path, you can add more liquid. The goal is to keep stirring to release the starch and keep the dish from burning. You should keep the heat on medium during this stage. 

6. Before adding the final half cup of liquid, add the chicken and mushrooms back into the pan. Stir them vigorously to mix them in with the rice.

7. Once the rice is soft and cooked, add grated parmesan and allow it to melt into the risotto. Add cream to taste if you wish. I served it with braised beet greens and chocolate for dessert. Heavenly!