Parmesan Chicken Risotto Recipe – Elevated Comfort Food
As everyone attempts to sharpen their kitchen skills with the extra free time we have these days, how do you decide between learning a more involved impressive recipe or sticking to comfort food? The perfect in-between recipe is Risotto: a cheesy, creamy, tender-as-pasta rice dish that’s fancy enough to impress your toughest critics (whether that be a picky eater or a culinary expert.) It isn’t too difficult, but it does take a bit of time, so it’s perfect for weekends with nowhere to go (like the many no-where-to-go weekends we’ve all had lately.)
This recipe is a conglomeration of a few recipes I’ve used over the years, namely this and this.
Here it is!
Chicken Parmesan Risotto (serves 4)
Ingredients
- 1 lb Chicken
- Salt and Pepper
- 6-8 cups chicken stock
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2)
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 4-6 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (but really just measure with your heart)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
Directions
- Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
- Cut chicken into 1” cubes. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is just done, 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat remaining olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots to oil, and cook, stirring, until translucent.
- Add rice, and cook, stirring until rice begins to make a clicking sound like glass beads, 3-4 minutes.
- Add wine to rice mixture. Cook, stirring until wine is absorbed by rice.
- Using a ladle, add 3/4 cup hot stock to rice. Using a wooden spoon, stir rice constantly, at a moderate speed.
- When rice mixture is just thick enough to leave a clear wake behind the spoon, add another 3/4 cup stock.
- Continue adding stock 3/4 cup at a time and stirring constantly until rice is mostly translucent but still opaque in the center. Rice should be al dente but not crunchy. The final mixture should be thick enough that grains of rice are suspended in liquid the consistency of heavy cream.
- Remove from heat. Stir in butter, parmesan cheese, and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Stir in chicken. Serve immediately, with extra parmesan and parsley for topping.
If you’re looking for side dishes to pair with this Risotto, here are a couple of dishes I love to make with Risotto, with a schedule of how to time all of these dishes to be ready at the right time.
Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a52754/bacon-asparagus-dippers-recipe/
Garlic Mozzarella Bombs
https://rasamalaysia.com/garlic-herb-cheese-bombs/
Tip: If you’re feeling fancy, use fresh mozzarella inside. If you’re feeling thrifty, use cut up mozzarella sticks!
Cooking Schedule
6:05 Start cooking chicken
6:10 Start simmer stock – Preheat oven
6:10 Start oil
6:20 Start adding stock
6:25-30 Put in Asparagus
6:45 Put in Rolls
6:50 Stir in Butter, Parsley, Salt, Pepper. Pull out some for Mia. Stir in Parmesan
6:55 Pull out Asparagus and Rolls