Happy New Year! 2014..wow. I don’t have a resolution and I’m OK with that. I think it’s nice to just let yourself be.
One way to feel good about the new year though is to make this risotto. You will feel really good while you eat it, I promise.
And if you’re resolution is to cook more this year this is a good place to start. You can say you made a risotto which sounds a bit fancy but it’s pretty simple. When I first tried risotto, I was so disappointed. A plate of rice! How boring. But when I took my first bite I was immediately in love. Yes it’s rice, but way creamier, richer and tastier.
Start by cubing and pan searing the chicken in some olive oil and put aside.
Then add the butter and olive oil and cook the onion. I like to use an enamel cast iron pot but you can use any good size sauce pan.
Once the onions are translucent add in the arborio rice and stir to cover in the oil and butter. This is the stage where it looks like hard, boring rice. Don’t worry, you are about to witness an amazing transformation process!
Add in the wine, salt, pepper and paprika.
Stir until the wine is fully absorbed. Then begin to ladle in the chicken broth about a 1/2 cup at a time. Don’t add more until the broth is absorbed. Stir often. The rice will slowly transform from hard rice into soft, plump, creamy pillows of rice. This whole process should take approximately 20 minutes. Do a taste test, if the rice is still a bit too hard add a bit more broth or if you run out you could even use a bit of water.
Now for my favorite part. Stir in all the cheese. I love watching the risotto go from creamy to creamier.
Stir to incorporate the cheese. Add in the cooked chicken. Now you have this beautiful cheesy chicken risotto.
This is where I usually eat a bunch right out of the pot. But if you can hold off this is a nice dish to plate and make pretty first. If you’d like and I always like, garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, some Parmesan cheese and parsley.
This works as a side dish or as a dinner and is extremely yummy leftover.
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 small spring onions or leeks
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup sharp cheddar (shredded or grated)
- ½ cup Parmesano reggiano
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Optional: parsley to garnish
- Cube the chicken breast and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Pan sear over med-high heat in a tablespoon of olive oil. About 3 minutes per side. Set chicken aside.
- Warm up the chicken broth in a sauce pan.
- On medium heat, put remaining olive oil and butter in a separate medium pan. Add diced onion or leeks and cook until translucent about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the arborio rice and coat in the olive oil and butter. .
- Stir in the white wine, paprika and pepper. Continue to stir until wine is fully absorbed.
- Now begin to ladle in the warmed chicken broth about a ½ cup at a time. After each addition of chicken broth stir and wait until that ladle is fully absorbed before adding another. This takes about 20-25 minutes until the rice tastes fully cooked.
- Stir in the cheese and add in the cooked chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Be careful adding salt since the cheese is already salty.
- Plate and garnish with a sprinkle or paprika, some more Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Hello! My name is Christina and I started this blog to share my love of food. You can find recipes of all kinds here but I try to keep them simple and of course delicious! 
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This cracked me up “One way to feel good about the new year though is to make this risotto. You will feel really good while you eat it, I promise.” And it sounds really yummy.