..using leftover chicken...but not the same as here...or here...We're going with Chicken, Bacon and Mushroom Risotto this time!
After the roast on Sunday, I knew I would have some chicken meat leftover, so factored it into the week's menu...I was originally going to do the saffron chicken risotto a la Milanese...but come the day, fancied a change! As I already had the other ingredients, it was a pretty easy decision what to do instead...
Serves: 3-4 depending on appetites and what you put with it...salad and crusty bread definitely stretch it to 4...
Ingredients:
*2 leeks - a large onion is great for the job too, I just happened to have leeks that needed using up! Waste not want not!
*2 cloves garlic - crushed
*large glass wine - I used rose (as had no white!!)
*450ml chicken stock - from cubes works fine, just test for seasoning carefully...
*250g risotto rice - I prefer Carnarolli...
*packet of bacon - about 8 rashers unsmoked is better, chopped (I use kitchen scissors to cut mine, I find it easier than trying to slice with a knife)
*250g mushrooms - sliced, I used a mix of chestnut and white
*cooked leftover chicken - however much you have really!
*Parmesan - a handful
*Butter - 2 knobs...
*Olive oil - 1Tbs
*Salt and Pepper to season
Start by frying off your bacon, then removing from the pan, you don't need oil for this, as it should give off a little of it's own, and you want a slight crisp to it! Wipe the pan clean and add the olive oil and half the butter...
...this will be use for softening the leeks and garlic...you don't want to colour them, just sweat them down until the leeks start to go slightly translucent...
...once you get to this point, turn the heat up a wee bit and add the rice...stirring all the time, you want to coat it in the oil and butter, but also you you see that it too starts to have little bits of it going translucent, this is when you know it's time to...
...get the wine in there! Add the wine and stir, the heat should be fairly high at this point, you what the rice to absorb the wine...
Once it looks like most of the wine has been absorbed, you can start adding the stock...
...your stock should be hot, so I always pop mine in a pan on the hob so that I can keep it hot...you should be adding a ladle at a time, stirring and adding more once it's been absorbed...lots of adding and stirring for a risotto, with a fair amount of heat too...
After the first couple of ladles have been absorbed, add in your mushrooms...
Keep gong with the stock, and once about three-quarters has been added in, pop your bacon and chicken in...
Once all the stock has been used, or the rice is done...whichever is first!...add in the parmesan and rest of the butter, stir, cover and turn the heat off...leave it like this for 5 minutes...it just helps the flavours to develop and everything to finish off...it won't go cold!! Well it doesn't ever for me!!
Give it a final stir, taste for seasoning, I only usually need pepper...especially when using bacon...and serve...
...and enjoy...with the rest of the bottle of wine, a crisp green salad and some crusty bread...Oh and I don't usually add any more parmesan because it is usually flavoured just fine for me, but you can always sprinkle a bit more on top if you want...
Of course this can also be made with raw chicken, just brown it off after the bacon has been done and add into the risotto with the mushrooms...
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