Name: Chicken and Mushroom Risotto Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 300g chicken breasts; 2 tsp olive oil; 750.00 ml low-salt chicken stock (liquid); 2 cups water; 1 brown onion; 180g mushrooms; 1 handful baby spinach; 1 tsp fresh thyme; 1 tsp garlic; 300g arborio rice; 100g cheddar cheese

by Lanai Scarr Last updated on 05/05/2025

This kid-friendly risotto may be missing some normal risotto ingredients (like wine) but it tastes just as good! It's great for kids that are new to solids as it is tasty, easy to eat and nutritious, with hidden spinach for an iron boost.

- Lanai Scarr

Ingredients

300g chicken breasts
2 tsp olive oil
3 cups low-salt chicken stock (liquid)
2 cups water
1 brown onion
180g mushrooms
1 handful baby spinach
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp garlic
300g arborio rice
100g cheddar cheese

Method

Step 1

Roughly chop chicken and heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large thick-bottomed saucepan on medium heat.
Step 2

Cook chicken until fully cooked through. Set aside in a bowl.
Step 3

While chicken is cooking combine stock and water in a small saucepan and leave to simmer on medium-high heat with the lid on.
Step 4

Peel onion and either use a food processor to chop it finely, or chop by hand. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Step 5

Rinse mushrooms and use a food processor (no need to rinse after onion) to chop finely. Alternatively if you don’t have a food processor you can chop by hand. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Step 6

Put chicken pieces in the food processor and whiz until fine and crumbly. Place chicken in bowl with mushrooms.
Step 7

Rinse spinach leaves and slice finely, then chop herbs.
Step 8

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil on medium heat in same saucepan that you first cooked the chicken in and cook onion, herbs and garlic until it starts to soften.
Step 9

Add rice to the onion mixture and cook for about a minute or until the rice starts to go slightly translucent. Then add two ladles of hot stock and stir continuously until the stock is completely absorbed by the rice. Continue adding ladles of hot stock until the rice is almost cooked through.
Step 10

Stir through chicken, mushrooms and spinach and continue adding stock until rice is completely cooked.
Step 11

Remove from heat and stir through cheese. Leave to rest with the lid on for several minutes.
Step 12

Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and pepper and salt for the adults and older kids.