This chicken, mushroom and sundried tomato risotto recipe is naturally gluten free and makes the most glorious meal. Packed with those headline ingredients, plus peas for a pop of freshness, this is a lovely creamy risotto that is sheer comfort food at its best.

I’ve used parmesan cheese as a classic finish to this risotto, plus a creamy boost of mascarpone. A couple of teaspoons of this smooth creamy Italian cheese go a long way and really elevates this risotto to a new level of deliciousness.

This is a family friendly recipe, having been tried and tested by my three year old. She is a tough critic and if this gets her seal of approval hopefully your kids will enjoy it too! If you are cooking for very young children, try using a low salt stock (such as this Kallo one) as the base. Adults can then add extra seasoning to their own platefuls if needed.

Keeping It Gluten Free

The ingredients used for this risotto are naturally gluten free, however make sure you are using a gluten free stock (Knorr and Kallo are my typical go tos). You should also be prudent and always check ingredient labels for “may contain” warnings, to be on the safe side. Sometimes traces of gluten can lurk in the strangest places!

I Can’t Find Mascarpone in the Shops, Can I use Something Else?

Mascarpone should be easy to find in your local supermarket, in the refridgerated cheese section. In the UK you’ll usually find it packaged in a round flat tub. However if you live elsewhere and don’t have access to it locally, you can try using any neutral soft cheese instead. Cream cheese would be an ideal substitute, it will just add a slight tang to the final dish.

Chicken, Mushroom & Sundried Tomato Risotto Recipe (GF)

This recipe serves 3 generous adult-sized portions or can be stretched to serve 4 people or a family if you add a side salad (or a gluten free garlic bread). For garlic bread try my simple gluten free garlic bread recipe or my epic fully homemade garlic pizza bread.

Any leftover risotto can be kept in the fridge and used for a speedy lunch the next day. Or use it to make my baked aranicini balls recipe – they are delicious!

You’ll find the method below, plus a couple of photos to help guide you through the recipe. Feel free to email me any questions or comments you might have. You can contact me at laura@mygfguide.com or message me on Instagram/Facebook @myglutenfreeguide.

If you enjoy this chicken, mushroom and sundried tomato risotto, I would be really grateful if you could leave a star rating or review on the recipe card below. Thank you!

Laura xxx

Chicken, Mushroom & Sundried Tomato Risotto (GF)
Yield: Serves 3-4

Chicken, Mushroom & Sundried Tomato Risotto (GF)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp oil (I use the oil from the jarred sundried tomatoes, but olive oil is also good)
  • 1 large white onion, finely diced
  • 50g sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 2 fat cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried basil (or a spring of fresh basil, finely chopped)
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 250g arborio rice
  • 175ml white wine
  • 1 litre chicken stock
  • 100-200ml water
  • 250g leftover roast chicken (or other cooked chicken), chopped into chunks
  • 100g frozen peas
  • 100g grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tsp mascarpone cheese

Instructions

  1. Take a large saucepan and add the oil and diced onion. Cook over a medium-low heat until the onion has turned translucent.
  2. Add the garlic, sundried tomatoes and dried basil to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.
  3. Next add the sliced mushrooms and turn the heat up to medium. Cook until they have softened, while stirring the contents of the pan regularly (to ensure the garlic doesn't burn). This will take about 5 minutes.
  4. Now add the dry arborio rice directly to the pan – give it a good stir so it starts to soak up the juices in the pan. Then pour in the white wine. Stir the rice until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
  5. Now you start to integrate the stock, adding about 200ml at a time and stirring constantly to avoid the risotto sticking to the bottom of the pan. By adding the liquid gradually you will ensure you don’t add too much and end up with a sloppy mess! The rice will quadruple in volume once cooked and if you run out of stock, just add some water until the rice is nice and soft (or al dente if you prefer it the Italian way).
  6. Once the rice is almost cooked, add the chicken and the frozen peas and cook for a further 5 minutes.
  7. Add the parmesan cheese and mascarpone, stirring well for a minute or two before turning off the heat.
  8. Give everything a good stir, season to taste with black pepper and salt and serve. Have extra parmesan available for those who like it cheesy. You can add some fresh basil leaves on top if you have them too, and serve with a side salad or garlic bread.

For more delicious dinner ideas, all of which happen to be naturally gluten free, why not try some of my other recipes! Here are a few that you might wish to bookmark for later:

Enjoy! Laura xxx