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Delicious Chicken Risotto

A Quick and Tasty Recipe for an Italian Classic

Sep 18, 2009 Jude Schweppe

Chicken risotto is a deliciously tasty meal that is easy to prepare, nutritious and filling. Below is a quick, simple recipe that even novice cooks will enjoy making.

Before you start cooking, gather all your ingredients together along with all the utensils you'll need. Remember preparation is the key to successful cooking and makes for a much more enjoyable experience.

Ingredients to serve 4

Chicken fillets x 4
One green and one yellow pepper
One large clove of garlic
One large onion
One glass of white wine
200g of Arborio rice
600ml of good quality chicken stock
Herbes de Provence
50g of Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

Method for Preparing Chicken Risotto

Chop the onion and peppers and crush the garlic, then dice the chicken breasts into nice bitesize chunks. Add one tablespoon of good olive oil to a large saucepan (your saucepan will need to be large enough to hold the risotto as the rice absorbs) and brown the ingredients on a medium heat, taking care not to cook the chicken too quickly. Add the rice to the pot and stir it well to coat it.
Gradually add the chicken stock and continue to stir over a low heat, until the rice absorbs the liquid. Once all the stock has been absorbed, add the glass of white wine, black pepper, Parmesan cheese and Herbes de Provence to taste. Stir well then allow the risotto to simmer gently until all the liquid has been absorbed and it has attained a nice creamy texture. It should be creamy yet slightly crunchy when you bite into the rice.
You may need to turn off the heat and just allow it to stand with the lid on the pot to avoid over cooking the rice. The total cooking time should take about 25 minutes. The rice should look nice and 'fat' when it has fully absorbed all the stock and the white wine.
Finally, tear up some fresh basil leaves and add them to the risotto. Serve with warm rustic ciabatta and butter and a crisp green salad. Chicken risotto is a white wine dish so in keeping with the Italian theme, try a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio to round off the meal perfectly!

Optional vegetables in chicken risotto

For a tasty alternative why not try adding some wild mushrooms to the recipe? Either add them with the peppers or remove the peppers from the mix altogether. Green vegetables like peas or green beans are also great with a chicken risotto, as are courgettes or aubergines.

And for a really decadent (and slightly more fattening!) finishing touch, try stirring in a couple of tablespoons of crème fraiche or mascarpone cheese at the very end of cooking just before you serve the dish. This will make the risotto even richer and creamier and is perfect for making the recipe that bit more special for a dinner party.

The copyright of the article Delicious Chicken Risotto in Recipes is owned by Jude Schweppe. Permission to republish Delicious Chicken Risotto in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Delicious chicken risotto