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

Why Carbonara?

Carbonara is my love language. It is not only my favorite food, but also my preferred way to offer care and comfort to myself and my loved ones. I prepare carbonara at least once per week, sometimes more if I am feeling particularly tender, hungry, or cozy. I often make single servings for myself after long days, or even for a late breakfast, and I have continued to hone my process over several years. At this point it feels more like a dance than a recipe, requiring fluidity, attention, and flexibility.

It goes without saying that I did not create any part of this dish, and that I’m sure there are many Italians that could cook circles around me. What I bring to this recipe is a pure reverence and devotion to the dish, and an utter delight each time I make it. If you take anything from this post, I hope it is not a perfect bowl of pasta, but a desire to find your own sacred foods and cultivate a deep appreciation for the ritual of making them.

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated (fresh, free range ideally – the quality of the eggs really matter in this recipe, low quality yields flavorless pasta)
3-4 oz. of guanciale/uncured bacon/pancetta
Generous handful of spaghetti or bucatini
Hunk of good Parmesan (you can use Pecorino Romano if you like, not pre-shredded)
Heaps of freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
Optional: scallions/chives/parsley for garnish

Method:

Chop or cut pork into small bits.
Sauté pork in a non-stick pan over low-medium heat.
Start to boil pasta water in a separate saucepan.
When pork is starting to crisp, about 5 minutes into cooking, reduce heat to low and allow it to fully cook over low heat in the rendered fat.
Once water boils generously salt pasta water and add pasta, cooking 2 minutes short of al dente
While the pork and pasta are cooking you will prepare the sauce. In a bowl (I use the bowl I am going to eat out of) separate three eggs. You do not need egg whites for this recipe, but I will add a teaspoon of the whites to the yolks to give the sauce a little more fluidity. Mix egg yolks until very well blended.
Grate parmesan into the egg mixture. I use at least ½ cup, it should form a texture like a paste. Add pinch of salt and generous amount of cracked pepper to the egg and cheese mixture.
When pasta is close to al dente scoop a splash of pasta water into the egg mixture. This tempers the eggs and begins to melt the shredded cheese. The texture should thin a bit, but not be watery. Be careful not to overdo it!
Increase heat on pork to med-high to bring the pan temperature back up.
Using tongs transfer pasta directly from the pasta water to the pan with the pork with ¼ cup of pasta water, moving quickly. DO NOT DRAIN OR RINSE YOUR PASTA. Reserve the rest of the pasta water.
Continually stir the pasta and pork as the liquid cooks off and pasta water reduces some. The pasta should be lubricated, not dry, with the fat and pasta water beginning to stick to the pasta. Add more pasta water if you need to during this step as it cooks off.
Pull off heat and allow pasta to cool slightly.
Slowly start to pour egg and cheese mixture into the pan with the pasta, stirring continually as you pour. If the sauce seems too thick after adding the egg mixture you can add more pasta water, one tablespoon at a time. The sauce should be glossy and cling to the noodles, not goopy or thin.
Finish in the bowl with fresh Parmesan, more cracked black pepper, and garnish if you choose to.
Eat immediately! Carbonara is best served hot and eaten quickly after.

Notes:

This recipe requires you to multitask. Time is of the essence when you make carbonara! It is crucial that you do not overcook the pasta, and it all comes together quite quickly. It helps to prep your mise en place before you begin and have everything close to the stove where you are cooking for easy access.

Tongs are a huge help with this recipe. You can use them to cook the pork and the pasta, and they make it easy to transfer the pasta without draining.

If you’re not a pork eater, you can substitute mushrooms or another hearty vegetable in place of the meat. Add a tiny bit of soy sauce or another umami flavor to the vegetables for the salty, meaty flavor you would be skipping.

Salt at each stage. You need to add it to the pasta water and a pinch to the egg mixture or the dish will lack complex flavor, but it is easy to over salt so be mindful of that!

Do not put cream or milk in this dish. Pasta water works magic here, it’s just not necessary, and it will result in a pasta that is too rich and heavy. Or peas, because frozen peas do not add anything to the flavor or texture of this dish.

Tag: Recipe