Chicken, Mushroom & Cashew Risotto

Now that our travels are over I am able to get back to trying new recipes. On Sunday I tried a new recipe from a cookbook I received from my friend Mindy for my bridal shower. The cookbook is all about Chicken so it's right up my alley and there are plenty of recipes for me to try. On Sunday night I made my first risotto meal. I have never even eaten risotto before Sunday and when I saw the recipe, and the picture, I thought it looked very yummy. It definitely was very good and will now enter into our regular meals. Here is the fabulous recipe.

Ingredients
2 oz butter
1 onion, chopped (I only used a quarter of an onion since I am not a fan of onions)
1 pound of boneless chicken breast
1 3/4 cups Arborio rice
1 tsp ground Turmeric
2/3 cup white wine
5 1/2 cups simmering chicken stock
2 3/4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup cashews, halved
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, thoroughly. Reduce the heat, add the rice, and mix to coat in butter. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 -3 minutes, or until the grains are translucent. Stir in the turmeric, then add the wine. Cook, stirring constantly until wine is reduced.

2. Gradually add the hot chicken stock, a ladleful at a time. Stir constantly and add more liquid as the rice absorbs each addition. Increase the heat to medium so that the liquid bubbles. Cook for 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is creamy. About 3 minutes before the end of the cooking time, stir in the mushrooms and cashews. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

This was my first experience eating and making risotto. Very yummy! I served it with grilled asparagus.