This Baked Mushroom, Leek, Chicken and Thyme Risotto is the kind of recipe that makes you look like you have been in the kitchen all day, when really the oven has done most of the work. It is rich, creamy and deeply savoury, with earthy swiss brown mushrooms, sweet leek, tender chicken thigh and fragrant thyme all baked together in one cast iron pot. No constant stirring. No fuss.
What makes this risotto a little different is the baking method. Instead of standing over the stove adding stock ladle by ladle, you build all the flavour on the stovetop first, then let the oven do the rest. The cream goes in with the stock from the start, and the starch from the arborio rice keeps everything silky smooth and perfectly bound together. A splash of apple cider vinegar in place of white wine adds brightness, balanced by the deep umami of a concentrated mushroom sauce. Snow peas go in for the last five minutes to keep their colour and crunch.
This is also a fantastic make-ahead meal. Pull it out of the oven five minutes early, before it fully finishes, and reheat gently with a splash of warm stock when you are ready to eat. It comes back to life beautifully. Perfect for busy weeknights, meal prep, or whenever you want a proper home-cooked dinner without the effort.
Baked Mushroom, Leek, Chicken and Thyme Risotto
Ingredients
- 60 g butter
- 1 leek white and pale green parts only thinly sliced and well washed
- 250 g swiss brown mushrooms sliced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 large pinch sea salt
- 3 tsp cracked black pepper
- 500 g chicken thigh diced
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 3.5 cups chicken stock warm keep extra 1/2 cup on hand
- 2 tbsp cream
- 3 tsp mushroom sauce dark concentrated vegan soy alternative
- 1 handful fresh thyme leaves
- 200 g snow peas trimmed
- 1 handful parmesan finely grated to finish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C fan-forced or 200 degrees C conventional.
- Melt the butter in your cast iron pot over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced leek and a pinch of salt and cook gently for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and starting to turn sweet and silky.
- Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and released their liquid. Season well.
- Add the diced chicken thigh to the pot and cook for a few minutes, stirring to coat it in all those buttery mushroomy juices and get a little colour on it. Season again.
- Pour in your apple cider vinegar or white wine and cook it off just as you would wine, letting it bubble and reduce for about a minute and scraping up all the caramelised bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the arborio rice and stir to coat everything in all that buttery goodness for a minute or two.
- Pour in the warm stock combined with the cream, add the mushroom sauce and thyme leaves, and stir to combine. The starch from the rice as it cooks will keep the cream smooth and silky. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Bring the pot to a gentle simmer on the stovetop, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes with the lid on, then remove the lid and continue baking for a further 20 to 25 minutes.
- With about 5 minutes to go, scatter in the snow peas and gently stir them through. The liquid should be well absorbed. If it looks like it is drying out too early add that extra warm stock. Don't worry if the rice bsetdi.l lI fh aist al oloiktst llei kbei tiet wihse nd riyti ncgo moeust otuoto oefa rtlhye aodvde nt,h atth aetx tirsa ewxaarcmt lsyt orcikg.h tD oann'dt iwto rwriyl li ff itnhies hr iccoeo ksitnigl ld uhraisn ga tlhiet trlees tb.i
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Notes
Yes, absolutely. Use 1/2 cup of white wine in place of the 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Cook it off in the same way, letting it bubble and reduce before moving on. The mushroom sauce is still worth keeping in as it adds beautiful depth regardless.
No, that is the beauty of the baked method. Once the pot goes into the oven you can walk away completely. You build the flavour on the stovetop first, then the oven does the rest. The only stirring happens at the very end when you fold through the parmesan.
Yes, and it reheats beautifully. Pull it out of the oven about 5 minutes early before it fully finishes, then reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of warm stock to loosen it up when ready to serve. It will come back to life without losing any creaminess.
Leftover risotto is brilliant for arancini. Shape into balls or patties once cold and firm, coat in breadcrumbs and shallow fry until golden. You can also reheat in a pan with a splash of stock. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Thigh is strongly recommended as it stays moist through the baking process. Chicken breast can dry out in the oven over a longer cook. If breast is all you have, cut into larger pieces and check it at the 10 minute mark when you remove the lid.
Mushroom sauce is a dark, intensely flavoured vegan condiment made from mushroom extract. It has similar depth to dark soy sauce and adds rich umami without any meat. Look for it in the Asian foods section of the supermarket or at an Asian grocery store.
The risotto is done when most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just tender with a very slight bite. It should look glossy and creamy, not dry or soupy. A small amount of bite after 25 minutes is perfectly fine as it will finish cooking during the 5 minute rest.
