Chicken and Mushroom Risotto
Creamy stovetop risotto with golden-seared chicken, deeply browned cremini mushrooms, white wine, thyme and plenty of Parmesan. It's comforting, makes one pot of food, and is easier than its reputation suggests.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 46 min
- Wait
- 2 min
- Total
- 1 hr 3 min
- Makes
- 4 generous main-course servings (about 1½ cups / 350 g each)
Steps
Before you start
- Risotto needs near-constant stirring for the last 20 minutes, so have every ingredient chopped and measured before you turn on the heat.
- Grate the Parmesan from a block on the small holes of a box grater. Pre-grated cheese can turn grainy instead of melting into the rice.
- Use low-sodium broth. It reduces as it cooks, and regular broth can make the finished dish too salty.
- Use arborio rice straight from the package. Do not rinse it, because the surface starch is what makes the risotto creamy.
- Have shallow airtight containers ready if you expect leftovers. Cooked rice must be cooled and refrigerated quickly (see Storage).
Prep and heat broth
- Cut the chicken, slice the mushrooms, dice the onion, mince the garlic, strip the thyme, grate the Parmesan and chop the parsley.
- Pour the broth into the medium saucepan and bring it to a bare simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low to keep it steaming hot.
- Season the chicken pieces with ½ tsp of the salt and a few grinds of pepper.
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Ready when: Broth is steaming with tiny bubbles at the edges of the pan.
Tip: Cold broth added to the rice stops the cooking and makes the risotto gluey, so keep it hot the whole time.
Sear the chicken
- Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in the large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
- Add the chicken in a single layer and cook without moving it for 3 minutes until golden underneath.
- Stir and cook 3–4 more minutes.
- Transfer to a plate.
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Ready when: Chicken is golden outside and reads 165°F (74°C) in the thickest piece, with no pink inside.
Tip: Don't wash the pan. The browned bits left behind add a lot of flavor to the risotto.
Brown the mushrooms
- In the same pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 tbsp of the butter.
- Add the mushrooms in one layer (work in two batches if they crowd the pan) and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes.
- Stir, then cook 4–5 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
- Season with ¼ tsp of the salt.
- Add to the plate with the chicken.
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Ready when: The liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated and the slices are deep golden brown and shrunken.
Tip: Salt the mushrooms only after they've browned. Early salt draws out water and they steam instead of browning.
Soften onion and garlic
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and the onion with a pinch of the remaining salt.
- Cook, stirring often and scraping up the browned bits, for 4 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook 30 seconds.
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Ready when: Onion is soft and translucent with no browning, and the garlic smells fragrant.
Tip: If the garlic starts to brown, lower the heat. Burnt garlic turns bitter.
Toast the rice
- Add the arborio rice to the pan.
- Stir constantly for 2 minutes so every grain is coated in oil.
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Ready when: The edges of the grains turn translucent while the centers stay white, and the rice smells nutty.
Add the wine
- Pour in the white wine and stir steadily.
- Let it bubble until nearly all the liquid has been absorbed and the pan smells less sharply of alcohol.
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Ready when: When you drag the spoon across the bottom of the pan, the trail stays open for a second and no wine pools.
Add broth gradually
- Reduce the heat to medium-low so the risotto bubbles gently.
- Add 1 cup (240 ml) hot broth and stir often.
- When the pan looks almost dry, add another ½–¾ cup (120–180 ml).
- Repeat, tasting the rice from about the 14-minute mark, for 18–20 minutes.
- You will use most or all of the broth.
- Add the last splash only if the rice is still firm.
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Ready when: The rice is creamy and loose, like thick porridge, and each grain is tender with a slight bite (al dente) in the center. A spoon dragged through leaves a slowly closing trail.
Tip: Stir often but not frantically. If the rice sticks, the heat is too high; if it never thickens, raise it slightly.
Fold in chicken and mushrooms
- Stir the chicken and mushrooms, with any juices on the plate, into the rice.
- Cook 2 minutes, stirring, to heat everything through.
- If the risotto looks stiff, loosen it with a splash of hot broth.
- It should flow slowly when the pan is tilted.
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Ready when: Chicken is hot throughout (165°F / 74°C) and the risotto is loose and glossy.
Finish and serve
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Vigorously stir in the remaining 2 tbsp cold butter, the Parmesan and the lemon juice, if using, until glossy and creamy.
- Cover and rest 2 minutes.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Stir in the parsley.
- Serve immediately in warm shallow bowls with extra Parmesan.
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Ready when: Risotto is creamy and spreads into a soft mound on a plate, not stiff or soupy.
Tip: Serve right away. Don't leave the pot sitting out: move any leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 1 hour.
Good to know
Tips
- Don't crowd the mushrooms. A single layer lets moisture evaporate so they brown and develop flavor.
- Keep the pan at a gentle bubble while adding the broth. A hard boil cooks the outside before the center softens.
- Taste the rice, not just the look of the pan, to judge doneness. It should be tender with a slight firmness in the center.
- Add the cold butter and cheese off the heat for the creamiest texture, and don't skip the rest.
Make ahead
Risotto is best fresh, but you can prep ahead: slice the mushrooms, dice the onion and grate the cheese up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate separately. You can also sear the chicken and brown the mushrooms up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate them covered and add them to the risotto in step 8.
Storage & reheating
Cool quickly: refrigerate leftovers within 1 hour of serving (never leave them out more than 2 hours). Spread the risotto in a layer about 2 inches (5 cm) deep or less in shallow airtight containers so it cools fast, then cover once steaming stops. Refrigerator: best eaten within 1 day, and no more than 2 days. Cooked rice can carry bacteria whose toxins survive reheating, so don't stretch this. Freezer: not recommended because the rice turns mushy. To reheat, warm in a skillet over low heat with a splash of broth or water per serving, stirring until steaming hot and creamy, and until it reaches 165°F (74°C) in the center. Reheat only once and discard anything left over.
Substitutions
- dry white wine such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc → additional low-sodium chicken broth plus 1 tbsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Replace the ¾ cup wine with ¾ cup broth and add the lemon juice with it. Flavor will be a bit less complex.
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts → boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Same weight and cut. Thighs are juicier and more forgiving; cook to 165°F (74°C).
- cremini mushrooms → white button or mixed wild mushrooms. Use the same weight. Wild mushrooms give a stronger flavor.
- arborio rice → carnaroli rice. Use the same amount. It holds its shape slightly better; cooking time is about the same.
