Wild Mushroom Risotto with Goat Cheese & Chicken
Wild Mushroom Risotto with Goat Cheese & Chicken is an elegant meal perfect for weeknight comfort food or weekend entertaining! This is honestly a warm hug in a bowl. I do love a one pot meal and this is ‘almost’ that. I did use a hot plate to sear the chicken & a pot to keep the stock warm. Other than that, I made the entire dish in one pot. This dish has a TON of flavor, try it, you’ll see!
Yes, it’s true, risotto is a labor of love. But, it’s also the type of dish that you can taste the love that went into it at first bite. I love reconstituting the dried mushrooms and using the stock to flavor the risotto. My cooking point of view is elegant but in an attainable way. To me, it means using an elevated ingredient or taking an extra step to bump it above the ordinary. This is an example of that. If you need more stock, just switch to chicken stock. Just make sure your stock is warm on the stove top so it doesn’t lower the cooking temperature when you add it to the risotto. This is an important step.
Another elevated component to this dish is the addition of mascarpone cheese, which is basically an Italian Cream Cheese. Risotto, if cooked properly will have a creamy consistency when done, but this definitely gives it a boost. Make sure the heat is off, the risotto will be hot enough to melt it to combine and you don’t want to cook it.
If you have truffle oil, it is a nice finishing touch with a small drizzle. However, truffle oil can go from a beautiful hint to overpowering very easily, so less is more. It definitely puts an exclamation point to the wild mushrooms. You can definitely skip it if you don’t have it, no problem. I hope you enjoy this Wild Mushroom Risotto with Goat Cheese & Chicken! If you make it, I’d love to see pics!
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes
Course
Entree
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
6 servings
Ingredients
6 oz. Dried Assorted Wild Mushrooms
2 Tbs. EVOO
2 Tbs. Butter
1 Shallot diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups Arborio Rice
1 cup white cooking wine
2-4 cups Chicken Stock as needed
4 Chicken Breasts
Kosher Salt & Black Pepper as needed
3 Tbs. Mascarpone Cheese
4 oz. Crumbled Goat Cheese
4 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
1 Tbs. Fresh Parsley chopped
1 Tbs. Truffle Oil small amount, drizzle to finish, optional
Instructions
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the dried assorted wild mushrooms, turn off the heat and allow to reconstitute for about 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms, chop and set aside. Strain the mushroom stock through a cheesecloth lined strainer to remove the grit. Add mushroom broth back to a clean pot and keep warm on low on the stove.
In a large saute pan with high sides, or a dutch oven, heat over medium heat, add EVOO and butter. Add shallot, garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add arborio rice and stir to combine.
Add wine and reduce for 3-4 minutes until rice is almost dry and wine has been absorbed. Begin adding the mushroom stock to the risotto, one ladle at a time over medium low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until almost absorbed, then add another ladle of stock. Repeat for about 25 minutes. If you run out of the mushroom stock, add some chicken stock to the pot to keep warm and start using that.
Meanwhile, pat the chicken completely dry and season them with salt and pepper. Bring a grill plate to a medium high heat, add EVOO, add the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking the chicken for about 10 more minutes until cooked through. Remove and allow to rest at least 10 minutes under foil.
When risotto is just about finished, turn off the heat, add the mascarpone cheese and stir to combine. This will make it super creamy! Add chopped mushrroms back in. Slice the chicken on a bias and add to the top of the risotto.
Top with some crumbled goat cheese, fresh thyme and parsley, serve.