Chicken & Mushroom Rissotto

INGREDIENTS (FOR TWO PEOPLE)

2 Small Chicken Breast
1 Medium Onion(red or white)
6 Medium Cup Mushroom
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Chicken Stock Cube
25g Unsalted Butter
1 Teaspoon of Oil(Olive,Sunflower,Vegetable)
1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika(Ordinary Paprika will work fine)
1 Tablespoon Oregano
3/4 Mug of Rissotto Rice

Equipment you will need: Chopping board, Sharp Knife, 1 Frying Pan, 1 Saucepan, 2 soup bowl

Firstly

Put 2 pints of water of water on to boil. When this has reached boiling point add the stock cube and stir until all of the cube has dissolved, remove from the heat. While you are waiting for the water to boil(don't watch it because folk law says it won't) you could cut the mushrooms into slices about the thickness of a ten pence piece, leave these in a bowl. Finely chop the onion as small as you can(mind those fingers you will need them for the rest of this dish), leave these on the side of the chopping board. Repeat this process with the garlic and add with the onion to your other soup bowl. Depending on how zippy you are with the knife the water should be done by now. You will need to chop the chicken into bite size pieces, they should be roughly the size of the mushroom you cut earlier. I personally prefer to slice the chicken with a knife, but I have seen people use scissors, I know some people don't like touching raw meat, it's down to you really how the chicken gets chopped.

Secondly

Heat your frying pan for 5 mins and then add the oil, you will know when the pan is hot enough because the oil will move quickly around the pan. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken has browned in colour. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the onions and the garlic, if necessary add half the butter to the pan to prevent the onion and garlic mix burning and sticking to the pan. Cook until onion has soften, now add the remaining butter and the rissotto rice, you may want to reduce the heat in the pan slightly. You need to keep stiring the rice, now add the mushrooms, paprika and the herbs.

Almost There

Continue to stir and slowly add about a mug full of the stock water carefully it may spit a little when you first add it to the frying pan. The idea of frying the rice gently in the pan with butter and the herbs is so the each rice kernal splits and allows the flavours to flow and infuse into the rice when you gradually add the water. You may want to turn the heat up slighty and add little amounts of water often. We are trying to get as much flavour into the rice as possible by letting the water reduce to nearly nothing and then adding more flavour. You do not want the rice swimming in the water and equally nor do want it too dry. Keep stiring and adding flavour. When I have made this recipe the rice cooking time is about 20 mins but depending on the heat you are cooking with the times may vary. When you think the rice is 5 mins from being done you can add the chicken. Don't forget to add liquid if necessary, at this stage it could be just water if you have run out of stock.

Service

Check to see if your chicken has cooked by cutting into it. If the chicken is done then taste the rice to see if that is cooked, it should have a bite to it and the sauce should just coat the rice. Continue to cook if needs be but be sure to get the liquid levels right, its very difficult to take liquid out at this stage but adding is a lot easier.Add salt and pepper to taste, serve and enjoy!