I very rarely eat rice these days as it’s pretty high in carbs. So, when I do, I want it to be something really delicious and this really is! I usually make it when I’ve roasted a chicken for another meal and then use any leftover breast meat and stock made from the carcass – the better the stock, the better the risotto! As long as you prep everything you need before you start, you should have this on the table in roughly half an hour. Enjoy!

Serves 2

• 150g risotto rice
• 1 litre of light chicken stock
• 100g chopped cooked leftover chicken
• 70g butter
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed into a paste
• 2 finely chopped shallots
• 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
• 70ml Noilly Prat for preference or dry white wine
• Maldon sea salt and pepper
• 60g grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped chives 
• 3 slices of streaky bacon
• 8 chestnut mushrooms
• a handful of chopped fresh parsley or chives
• Salt and pepper

To make…

• Risotto needs to be cooked quickly so prep all the risotto ingredients first and all will run smoothly i.e. chop the shallots and celery, slice the mushrooms and bacon, chop the herbs, heat the stock, grate the cheese etc. 
• Fry the bacon in its own fat. Set aside. Fry the mushrooms in the bacon fat. Set aside with the bacon. 
• Melt half the butter in a sauté pan and lightly colour the shallots and celery. Add the rice, stir and coat in the butter. Add the garlic, Noilly Prat or wine, ladle over enough hot stock to cover. Stir and leave it to cook for a few minutes. Keep adding the stock and stir the risotto until the rice goes creamy and is slightly al dente. This should take about 20 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the Parmesan. Add a little more stock if it looks stodgy and adjust for seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the cooked chicken. 
• To serve, spoon the risotto onto warm plates and top with the bacon, mushrooms and herbs. 

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