Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Tomato, Basil and Chicken Risotto

My family loves rice. I have never cooked risotto so I decided to give it a try. They loved this new meal. I almost didn't have enough. This recipe serves 4 so if you have big eaters - you may want to double it. Also, I thought it tasted too "winey" for my family so I added some butter and sugar at the end to mellow some of the wine taste. I would probably use a half of cup next time and substitute the other half with more chicken broth. This was quick and easy and we enjoyed it! I apologize for the picture - this nice risotto wasn't very photogenic!



Tomato, Basil and Chicken Risotto (adapted from Meet Us in the Kitchen Jr. League, St. Louis)

1 14 oz can chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts - rinsed, dried -cut into bite size pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup arborio rice
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese
1/4 cup finely shredded fresh basil

Combine broth, wine and water in a medium saucepan, over medium heat until just about to boil - reduce heat and keep hot; Put garlic in 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a heavy 2 qt saucepan over medium-high heat - add half of the chicken - season with salt and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes or until chicken is cooked through; remove and cook remaining chicken in 1 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper - removed chicken and set aside.

Put the remaining 1 Tbsp oil in the saucepan - stir in the rice and onion; cook for 2 minutes stirring to coat the rice; Stir in 1 cup of the hot broth mixture - reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the broth is absorbed; Add another cup of broth mixture and cooking, stirring til absorbed; add the rest - continuing to simmer, stirring frequently until the risotto is tender and has a creamy texture; Stir in the tomato and chicken - cook until heated through; Stir in the basil and cheese. Serve immediately!

*for my family - I plan to use only 1/2 cup of wine in the future and increase the broth

Printable Version

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

mmm, yummy! when i make risotto i use mostly chicken broth as well, anne

Unknown said...

looks really ummy, I regularly cook risotto and there are so many different ways to do it... your family might love my scarlet risotto which is so shockingly red it's fun to eat too!... check it out here:http://belleaukitchen.blogspot.com/2010/08/scarlet-risotto.html

Brownieville Girl said...

I'm a big fan of risotto - have yet to try it with tomatoes and basil .. sounds delicious.

claire said...

for some reason, risotto has always scared me! hopefully I bite the bullet and try to make some soon!

Mandy said...

This looks very good. I'm trying to make more meals with rice in them. thanks for this idea!

Mandy

Val said...

I never met a risotto I didn't like...This is super yummy!!!! I always make risotto on Valentine's day!!