Tuscan Chicken with Mushroom Risotto

Arborio Rice - Wikimedia Commons

Everyone has a staple chicken and rice recipe that they can go to for a quick and easy dinner. But the problem with these go-to recipes is that they can quickly get boring if gone to too much. This recipe offers a twist to chicken rice.

This chicken dinner is hearty and delicious with a luscious sauce of sun-dried tomatoes and cremini mushrooms. And the side dish is much more than your plain old rice. It's a creamy mushroom risotto.

Serves 4

Tuscan Chicken with Mushroom Risotto

For the chicken:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped (packed dry or in water, not in oil)
• 1 cup cremini mushrooms, finely sliced
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1/4 cup dry sherry or other dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper

For the risotto:

• 1 cup short-grain rice, such as arborio
• 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms, finely sliced
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or sherry
• 2-3 cups chicken broth, heated
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• Sallt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Start the risotto first. Heat the olive oil in a deep saute pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add the shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper and sweat until soft.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned
4. Add the rice and cook for just a minute or two until the grains start to appear translucent
5. Raise the heat to medium
6. Add the wine and allow it to cook away
7. Add a ladle-full of the chicken broth and stir
8. Continue to keep an eye on the risotto, adding more broth whenever the pan appears dry and stirring to combine until the risotto becomes nice and creamy. The entire process should take about 20-25 minutes.
9. Season the chicken breasts with the garlic powder, salt and pepper
10. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil
11. Add the chicken breasts to the pan, sauteing until cooked through and nicely browned, about 4-5 minutes per side
12. Remove the chicken to a plate and keep warm
13. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the onions are soft and mushrooms are browned
14. Add the sherry and deglaze the pan, being sure to scrape up any brown bits off the bottom
15. Once the sherry has almost completely cooked out, add the chicken broth
16. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the sun-dried tomatoes
17. Continue cooking the sauce until reduced to a nice thick consistency
18. Add the chicken back to the pan and toss to coat
19. Sprinkle with parsley and serve

Nicole Tanner - Nicole Tanner is a freelance journalist, fiction writer and avid gamer. She's worked in the videogame industry, both as a reporter and ...

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