Chicken Risotto Recipe

This chicken risotto recipe is made with sauteed onions and an assortment of my favorite vegetables.

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil, divided
2 small sweet onions, diced
10 mushrooms, sliced
1 small zucchini, cut into pieces
4 asparagus stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup of either Madeira wine, vermouth or sherry.
9 -10 cups chicken stock
3 cups arborio rice
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 Tablespoons margarine or butter
salt and pepper to taste

Serves 8-10

Directions

In a large cast iron skillet or heavy saucepan, over medium, heat 1/4 cup of oil.

Add onions and cook until softened and golden.

Add mushrooms, zucchini and asparagus pieces and cook until softened.

Deglaze the pan by adding wine or substitute.

Use a spatula to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Over medium-high heat, cook to the liquid reduces by half.

While you wait, in another medium pot, bring the stock to simmer and keep on stove over low heat.

Add 1 cup of stock to vegetable mixture and cook over medium until reduce and thickened.

Set aside.

Using a new heavy saucepan, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil over medium.

Pour in rice, and stir to coat (about 2-3 minutes)

A large spoonful at at a time, add the simmering stock.

Stir after each spoonful and let most of the liquid absorb into rice, but not dry out, before adding each new spoonful.

Reserve 1/4 cup of stock.

Taste rice, and if it is tender to bite, but still a tiny bit firm in the center (20 minutes or so), mix in the the cooked chicken and heat for 1 minute.

Take off the heat, and add margarine, onion mixture, and the rest of the stock, stirring it all in.

Taste, and season with salt and pepper to your liking.