Risotto with Mushroom, Chicken and Leek

Ingredients

1. Chicken thighs

2. Mushrooms

3. Leeks

4. garlic

5. Thyme

6. Arborio rice

7. Wine

8. Stock

9. Butter

10. Parm

11. parsley

Prep the veges

1. Slice the mushrooms in half or quarters depending on their size.

2. Cut the roots and tough green tops off of the leeks, then halve the white portions. Rinse the leeks under cold water to remove any dirt, and then slice thinly.

3. Crush the garlic with the side of a knife, and peel. Finely chop.

Cook the chicken and mushrooms

1. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and chopped thyme.

2. Add some oil to a high sided pan, and cook the chicken until browned. Pull the chicken out, slice into 1cm slices and set aside.

3. Add mushrooms to the pan, and season with salt and pepper. Cook on high. The mushrooms will release liquid before they start to brown, and that is cool! The moisture released will start to deglaze the pan. Once the mushrooms are deploy browned, pull them out and set them aside with the chicken

Make the risotto

1. Get your stock warm and keep on a very low simmer in a separate pot on the stove.

2. Give the pan a quick wipe and add some fresh olive oil.

3. Add the leeks and garlic to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until the leeks start to turn translucent

4. Add the rice to the pan, and toast. The rice should start to turn translucent and start to give off a really nice nutty odour.

5. Reduce the heat to low and add some white wine to the pan. Stir until the white wine has mostly been absorbed.

6. Add the stock, one cup or so at a time, and stir. Once the stock has been mostly absorbed, add another cup. The risotto should be mostly done when the rice is cooked through, and the consistency is still jiggly. If the rice is still too firm, add more stock. If the consistency is still thick, add some more stock. This will continue to firm up even after the stove is off, so add more liquid than you think.

7. Add the chicken and mushrooms back to the pot along with any liquid that they have let off. Stir to combine.

8. Add some butter, most of the parmesan, stir and cover. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so on the stove.

9. Open up the pot, and stir in the parsley. Serve in wide bowls, topped with a little parmesan and parsley. Watch TV and fall asleep full and happy on the couch.