1/2 - 3/4 pound chicken breast tenderloins, cut into small pieces
6 bacon slices, chopped
1 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves, minced
4-6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/3 cup Red Zinfandel wine (I used 7 Deadly Zins)
1/2 cup fresh grated parmigiano reggiano
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 teaspoon of each)
1. Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a medium sauce pan (do not boil); keep warm over low heat.
2. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast tenderloins and cook through. Remove to plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add bacon to pan; cook 8 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon to plate.
4. Add shallots, thyme, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 6 minutes or until shallots are tender, stirring occasionally. Add oil and stir in mushrooms; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in Red Zinfandel; cook 1 minute until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup stock; cook 4 minutes, or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 3 1/2 minutes per 1/2 cup, or about 25 minutes total).
5. Remove from heat; stir in cheese, salt, and pepper. Serve in bowls and sprinkle each serving with chopped bacon and grated parmigiano reggiano.
To make a vegetarian version, double up on the mushrooms (you can even use a different type mixed with the cremini, for flavor variation - shitake or oyster mushrooms are good), use vegetable stock instead of chicken, and add 4 cups of baby spinach at the end of Step 4 and cook for 1 minute before removing from heat.
Sorry about the weird yellow light in the first picture. It's from the light over my stove, and I don't have a yellow filter for my camera.
