The Reason I Married Nick: My MIL's Chicken Risotto Recipe

If Nick married me to get a belly full of chicken enchilada casserole, then I married him to get my paws on this utterly scrumptious dish that my mother-in-law makes.

Before I go into the recipe, I want to have a quick word about risotto.  First let me say that I HATE rice.  You won't see anything served "on a bed of rice" on this blog.  I can only stomach rice if it is masked by a plethora of delicious flavors.  There is only one recipe that comes to mind in my entire culinary repertoire that involves rice.

That being said, risotto is rice.  And I LOVE risotto.  But I didn't discover my love for this "special rice" until my lovely mother-in-law made this dish.  Even though I had sworn not to eat risotto on the grounds that it is rice, the mother of my husband single-handedly introduced me to an entire category of food.  (And I would eat it in a house and with a mouse!)  I love risotto wish seafood, veggies, cheese, meat, and even fungus (naturally I mean mushrooms...there is a fungus among us!).  This recipe is my all-time favorite risotto recipe, and I can't get enough of it.  So a big shout out to Julie, my MIL, for her delicious dish.  (And no, I'm not talking about her Schwetty Balls.)

MY MIL'S CHICKEN RISOTTO RECIPE

• meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 3 tbs butter
• 1 pint baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large (or 4 small) shallots, sliced
• 1 tbs dried thyme leaves
• 2 cups risotto (arborio rice)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 6-8 cups (48-64 ounces) chicken stock
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 2 avocados, diced
• juice from 2 limes

In a large saucepan, heat chicken stock to just below a simmer.  (You will use this when you begin to make the risotto.)

In a very large, high sided skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms.  Just as mushrooms start to brown (3-4 minutes), add shallots and thyme.  Cook until shallots are wilted (2-3 minutes), then add risotto.  Stir constantly until risotto begins to look a bit golden (2-3 minutes).  Add white wine.  (It will boil off very quickly -- all the alcohol will cook out, leaving a nice aroma.)  When wine is evaporated, add a couple of ladles of chicken stock.  Stir in briefly, reduce heat to medium (I set my halogen stove just a millimeter below the 7 [out of 10...oh, Star Trek, you haunt me] mark), and allow stock to simmer until it cooks almost completely off.  Just as all the stock is absorbed, stir in another two ladles.  Simmer until stock is almost completely absorbed, then add another two ladles.  Repeat until risotto is done.*

After risotto is creamy and al dente (like a perfectly cooked pasta), stir in almost all of your parmesan and all of your chicken.  Risotto should be creamy and a bit gooey from the cheese.  Plate up risotto with a tiny sprinkle of parmesan and some fresh-grated pepper.  Top with avocado and some lime juice.  Enjoy!

(Serves 4)

I know the avocado and lime sound weird, but TRUST ME.  It is delicious!

*My British chum, Jamie Oliver, told me that risotto should take about 20 minutes from the time you begin to add chicken stock.  You don't want to use too much heat or too little heat -- just enough heat to get the risotto perfectly cooked in about 20 minutes.  His advice has never failed me yet.  :)