This gluten-free Chicken and Mushroom Brown Rice Risotto is a delicious, wholesome meal with so much more nutrition than its arborio cousin. Take a look at the variations (below the main recipe) for suggestions to alter the recipe to suit many specific dietary requirements.
I first made this many years ago. A restaurateur friend of mine teased me about messing with a ‘classic.’ Once he tasted it he was grateful I dared to mess! You’ll notice it is quite different from a traditional risotto in that the rice is pre-cooked. It is easier in that you can precook the rice, prepare your meat and vegetables and it only takes 10 minutes to assemble and cook.
Health benefits
Try to use homemade stock. In combination with the shitake mushrooms, it provides a real immune boost. The brown rice is a fibre and vitamin B rich grain (especially if soaked prior to cooking). The chicken and mushrooms add protein and the vegetables speak for themselves.
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Chicken and Mushroom Brown Rice Risotto
Ingredients
- 10 g dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 clove garlic -diced
- 1 large onion -diced
- 2 sticks celery -finely diced
- 500 g boneless and skinless chicken thighs -diced
- 2 cups mushrooms -sliced (an assortment is nice, Swiss brown, shiitake, oyster)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 zucchini -julienned or ribboned
- Splash white wine
- 2 cups leftover cooked brown rice (1 cup or 185 g when uncooked)
- 250 ml chicken stock or broth (1 cup)
- 100 g parmesan cheese (1 cup) grated
- 1 cup baby spinach (optional)
- Handful flat leaf parsley -chopped
Method
- Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and just cover with a little boiling water. Set aside.
- In a large non-stick pan, melt the butter over a low heat. Add the garlic, onion and celery and cook with the lid on for a few minutes just to sweat and soften (not too brown).
- Add the chicken and continue to cook for a few more minutes until the chicken just starts to turn opaque.
- Remove the porcini mushrooms from the water, reserving the soaking water.
- Chop the porcini mushrooms then add to the pan with the rest of the mushrooms, zucchini, and thyme leaves and cook for a few minutes until the mushroom starts to soften.
- Add the rice and a splash of white wine, the reserved porcini liquid, followed by the stock and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often until the stock is almost all absorbed.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach and cheese. Once the spinach has wilted and the cheese melted through the dish, top with parsley and serve immediately.
Thermomix method
- If cooking the brown rice in the Thermomix, add enough water to cover the blades. Place the rice in the basket and cook 20 minutes (if un-soaked) or 18 minutes if soaked, Varoma temp, speed 4.
- Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and just cover with a little boiling water. Set aside.
- In a dry thermomix bowl, grate the parmesan, 10 seconds, speed 7-8. Set aside.
- Now chop the garlic, 3 seconds, speed 7. Add the onion and celery and chop 10 seconds, speed 4.
- At this point I personally transfer it to the stove top as the volume of chicken and mushrooms makes it very hard to cook evenly in the the thermomix. Also it's not like a regular risotto that requires lots of stirring. Once the chicken and mushrooms are cooked, it is only 5 minutes away from serving.
Variations
Dairy-free
Replace the butter with ghee or macadamia or olive oil and the cheese with cashew nut cream (savoury version) and nutritional yeast.Vegetarian
Replace the chicken with an extra cup of mushrooms and a handful or two of walnuts. Replace the chicken broth with vegetable stock.Vegan
Use dairy-free and vegetarian options.Onion-free
Replace the onion with a small bulb of finely diced fennel.Garlic-free
Replace the garlic with a pinch of chilli powder.I prefer this brown rice version more than regular risotto - do you agree? Post your thoughts in the comments below.
Kez says
Looks yummo, great idea using the cooked brown rice Georgia…love it!!
Georgia Harding says
Thanks Kez, I prefer it to arborio, more texture and less time at the stove stirring! G x
Danni Reichel says
This looks yummy. I love risotto.
Georgia Harding says
It is a personal favourite, hope you get to enjoy it too. G x
Kylie says
Hi Georgia, not sure what happened, can’t see my previous post 🙁 Just wondering if you possibly have the thermomix version of this recipe to make it even easier! Sounds yummy and have put it on the menu for this week. Thanks Kylie x
Georgia Harding says
Because it only requires a few minutes to assemble and cook, I actually make this in the pan (I also much prefer pan cooked chicken than TM cooked chicken). But for TM short cuts to speed up the process : 1.Grate the cheesed in the TM for a few seconds speed 6 and set aside. 2. Chop the onion, garlic and celery for 5 sec, speed 5 and set aside. 3. Rinse rice well and cook the brown rice as you would white rice but for 20 minutes. If you need the zucchini to disappear then mince that with the onion too and add at the beginning. If you wanted to do it fully in the TM, just follow the basic risotto method but reduce the cook times given the rice is already cooked. Hope that helps, G x
Kim says
Made this tonight and it got the thumbs up from the whole family. My 6 year old even requested we have it lots, as it is yummy! Will definitely be a regular on our dinner menu. Thanks Georgia!
Georgia Harding says
Thanks Kim, glad it was a hit, G x
dajbau says
I finally got around to making it. It was absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Georgia Harding says
You’re very welcome. Thanks for the feedback, G x
Nat says
This is bloody delicious. I used Swissies in lieu of porcini. A def make and make again. and again. Nice one G x
Georgia Harding says
Your welcome Nat. G x
Kelly Berghella says
Wow – cooked this for my Italian husband and in-laws who were a bit sceptical about using brown rice. They loved it, I doubled the recipe and we managed to eat it all 🙂 This was so much quicker and tastier than ‘normal’ risotto. Hubby said it was the best risotto he has ever had! Thanks again for a great recipe, love this site.
Georgia Harding says
Feeling a bit proud right now. What an awesome compliment Kelly, thanks so much. I cooked this about 20 years ago for a friend who owned an Italian restaurant. He said it was great but I had a feeling he was just being kind!! I’m stoked thanks, G x
Tracey says
Made this last night, it was delicious! Even my 2 year old loved it! Although she thought the enoki mushrooms was cheese hehe, thank you for sharing 🙂
Georgia Harding says
You’re welcome Tracey, too funny re the enoki! G x
Kaarin Cotterill says
I’ve made risotto dozens of time but I found sweating the vegetables and chicken gave it a more rounded flavour. I made this recipe up for dinner and we all really loved it. I used brown basmati rice and it turned out fine.
Emily Jeavons says
do you soak the brown rice prior to cooking to break down the phytic acid?
Georgia Harding says
99% of the time I do Emily, it’s definitely optimal, but if for some reason I have whip it up without soaking, I will and still enjoy G x
The Glatisant says
The recipe is good – but you need to re-describe your friend who is actually a restaurateur not a restauranteur
Georgia Harding says
Cheers!!
Amy Lane says
What do you do with the reserved liquid from the porcini? Amy
Claire Pearce says
Hi Georgia, do you have a suggestion for replacing the splash of white wine? We don’t drink wine in our house so a bottle would go to waste and the 250mL sachets are a bit expensive. Thanks.
Georgia Harding says
Hi Claire, yes I understand. Just increase the stock by about 1/4 cup with a tbs of white wine or apple cider vinegar (for a little acidity). Enjoy G x
Claire Pearce says
Awesome thanks so much.
Giorgia says
Any chance for a Thermomix method? ? Giorgia x
Georgia Harding says
I have just added how I cook this using the Thermomix Giorgia. You could try doing the lot in the thermo bowl, but I think it will be too much volume (as the mushrooms take a lot of room until reduced) – and I think the texture and flavour is nicer in the pan (plus it takes next to no time to cook unlike regular risotto). Hope this helps G x
Demelza says
Hi Georgia,
Just wondering if this is a meal that you can freeze?
Thanks 🙂
Georgia Harding says
Hi Demelza. I haven’t but I can’t see why not. The texture may change slightly, but otherwise okay G x
Hazel says
Hi! Will any brown rice work with this or does it need to be basmati? We usually stock medium grain at home.
Georgia Harding says
Yes Hazel, any brown rice is just fine. I just personally love the flavour of basmati. Enjoy, Georgia x
Elise says
Hi, is there a substitute for the dried porcini mushrooms? They are a bit expensive for me to buy a whole packet. Thanks.
Georgia Harding says
Hi Elise. You can absolutely leave them out, it’s still delicious. I don’t always have them so have made it plenty of times without. Enjoy G x
Elise says
Thanks Georgia. I have made this twice in the last 2 weeks – it’s so good. I found that it took me a lot longer than 5 minutes of simmering to reduce most of the liquid. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Georgia Harding says
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the 5🌟s Elise G x