Chicken, Mushroom & Pumpkin Risotto

1.25L (5 cups) chicken stock

20g butter

1/4 cup olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
500g pumpkin, peeled and diced
440g (2 cups) arborio rice
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 1cm pieces
100g button mushrooms, cut into 1cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3/4 cup finely grated parmesan

Bring the stock just to the boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and hold at a gentle simmer.

Preheat oven at 180C. Place the diced pumpkin onto a tray lined with baking paper. Spray lightly with oil. Bake for about 20 minutes or until they are soft.

Heat butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy-based stockpot or large flameproof casserole dish over medium heat. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent but not coloured. Add the rice and 1 tablespoon of thyme. Cook, agitating but not stirring, for 1 minute or until the grains appear slightly glassy.

Add the wine to the rice mixture and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed. Add a ladleful (about 125ml or 1/2 cup) of the simmering stock to the rice and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock mixture, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding the next ladleful, for 20-30 minutes or until the rice is tender yet firm to the bite and the risotto is creamy.

Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until chicken just starts to brown. Add the mushroom and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add pumpkin, chicken mixture, parmesan and remaining thyme to the risotto and combine. Season with salt and pepper to serve.


Quop has not really liked risotto in the past but he loved this so much that he licked everything off the pot and could not stop complimenting me on how good it was :)