Creamy Chicken Risotto Recipe With Parmesan Cheese
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Jun 10, 2022 • 3 min read
Risotto is the ultimate creamy, decadent Italian comfort food. Add chicken for a delicious weeknight main dish.
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What Is Chicken Risotto?
Chicken risotto is a creamy Italian rice dish featuring tender chicken pieces. To make chicken risotto, stir in cubes of chicken breasts or chicken thighs to the cooked rice. Risotto traditionally calls for arborio rice—a rounded, short-grain white rice with a high starch content—though you can substitute carnaroli rice or other grains for an oat or barley risotto.
The key to risotto is the cooking method: sautéing the starch and then cooking it on low heat as you add ladles of broth. This allows the rice to release its starches gradually, yielding a perfectly al dente result in a creamy sauce. Other common ingredients in risotto include butter, sautéed shallots, Parmesan cheese, dry white wine, garlic cloves, and seasonal vegetables.
How to Make Chicken Risotto Step-by-Step
Follow these simple steps to make creamy chicken risotto:
- 1. Warm the broth. Warm the stock in a small saucepan before adding it to the rice. Adding cold or room temperature stock to the hot pot of rice will cool the ingredients down and interrupt the cooking process.
- 2. Cook the chicken. Using the same pan you plan to use for the risotto, cook cubed chicken thighs or chicken breasts until cooked through and browned on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board to rest while finishing the risotto to avoid overcooking the meat. Alternatively, you can buy cooked rotisserie roasted chicken.
- 3. Toast the rice. Add arborio rice to the pan first with the aromatics and toast to impart a nutty flavor. Once the rice is toasted, deglaze the pan with white wine.
- 4. Prepare vegetables. You can cook broccoli, asparagus, or other vegetables ahead of the risotto and stir them later with the chicken.
- 5. Add the liquid. Adding your stock in small portions allows the rice to slowly absorb the liquid while emitting its starches to make the creamy risotto. As a rule, wait until the rice has fully absorbed one portion of stock before adding more. You can make this dish vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for chicken stock.
- 6. Finish with flavor. After adding all of your stock, add the cooked chicken. If you’re planning to add butter or Parmesan cheese for additional creamy richness, wait until you remove the risotto from the heat to stir it in. The fats found in dairy products can break and separate when heated.
Simple Chicken Risotto Recipe
makes
prep time
10 mintotal time
1 hr 5 mincook time
55 minIngredients
- 1
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the broth to a low boil then reduce heat to low, keeping the broth just below a simmer. You want the broth to be about the same temperature as the rice while it’s cooking.
- 2
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until crispy and golden brown on the bottom, 3–4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook, undisturbed, until cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- 3
In the same skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium-low, then add the shallots and sauté until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir continuously until fragrant, about 30–60 seconds. Add the rice to the onion-garlic mixture, season with salt, and stir to combine. Continue stirring until rice is well coated and starting to become translucent, 2–5 minutes.
- 4
Add about ½ cup warm broth and a splash of wine to the rice mixture. Stir often using a wooden spoon, until the rice has fully absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth in ½ cup increments, following each addition with a splash of wine and allowing the rice to absorb liquid between additions until rice is al dente, about 25–35 minutes. (You may not need all of the liquid.)
- 5
Remove pan from heat and add ½ cup cheese, cooked chicken, and pepper, stirring to combine. Cover and allow to rest 5 minutes.
- 6
Garnish with additional cheese and a few cracks of black pepper. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
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