Name: Chicken with buckwheat and mushroom risotto
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 150 gm toasted hulled buckwheat (see note); 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil; 4 chicken breasts, preferably bone-in, skin-on (250gm each; see note); 80 gm butter, coarsely chopped; 1 white onion, diced; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock, hot; 2 tbsp pouring cream; 20 gm parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve; 300 gm assorted seasonal mushrooms, such as pine, chestnut, Swiss brown and enoki, cut into bite-size pieces

Earthy buckwheat is a great match for mushrooms and chicken. Boiling it first gives you a head start so you can turn it into a creamy risotto in less than 10 minutes.

Ingredients

150 gm toasted hulled buckwheat (see note)

60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil

4 chicken breasts, preferably bone-in, skin-on (250gm each; see note)

80 gm butter, coarsely chopped

1 white onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock, hot

2 tbsp pouring cream

20 gm parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve

300 gm assorted seasonal mushrooms, such as pine, chestnut, Swiss brown and enoki, cut into bite-size pieces

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 200C. Boil buckwheat until just tender (7-8 minutes), drain well and set aside.

2.Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large non-stick ovenproof frying pan over medium heat, add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown (2-3 minutes). Add 15gm butter to pan, transfer to oven and roast chicken, turning once, until just cooked (5-7 minutes). Set aside on a warm plate to rest (5 minutes), reserving pan.

3.Heat 20gm butter and 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat until butter melts, add onion and half the garlic, and sauté until onion is tender (5-7 minutes). Add buckwheat and stock and stir until stock is absorbed (6-9 minutes). Stir in cream, then parmesan and season to taste.

4.Heat remaining butter and oil in reserved pan over high heat until foaming, add mushrooms and remaining garlic, and stir until mushrooms are tender and just turning golden (2-3 minutes). Serve risotto with chicken and topped with mushrooms and extra parmesan.

Note Toasted hulled buckwheat is available from select delicatessens and the health-food section of supermarkets. Bone-in chicken breasts are available from butchers; otherwise substitute breasts of the same size without the bone.
Notes