Creamy Chicken Risotto with Peas, one of my favourite Italian dishes that can be served in under 30 minutes. Comforting, delicious, this is one of those dinner recipes that the whole family can enjoy. Quick and easy to make, and healthy too, this chicken risotto makes a fantastic midweek meal with very little money.
As a child, I wasn’t very keen on rice, at least not on the dishes I had. Our pilaf is pretty similar in texture and flavours to risotto, although the cooking technique can vary. When I moved to England and had to start cooking for myself, I stayed away from pilaf for quite a while, until I started missing mum’s food and home in general.
When I got to visit my family and mum had some pilaf for dinner, l thought that was the tastiest food in the whole wide world. Funny how you get to appreciate what real homemade food is and wonder why you were such a silly child to dislike or refuse it. Now I absolutely love risottos of any kind, be it with chicken, or just vegetarian, like my Mushroom Risotto.
Risotto sounds like a posh word, but it’s just a lovely Italian dish that sums up what homemade comfort food is all about. You cook the rice slowly on a low heat so that it can become creamy and have the perfect texture. Whether you add alcohol or not, this homemade risotto tastes amazing every single time.
How TO make creamy chicken risotto with peas
It’s all about patience. Risotto is not a dish to be rushed, or just add chicken stock to it and forget about it till it’s ready. We do need to stir continuously, to make sure the rice cooks properly, and we get the creamy texture a good risotto should have.
- First, we need need to cook the chicken. Season it well with salt and pepper, add to a pan with oil, and fry gently until cooked through.
- Set aside, then add the chopped onion to the same pan, and cook until it softens, then add the rice, and stir for one minute, so that the rice becomes transluscent.
- Add the chicken stock, one ladleful at the time, stiring well until all the liquid evaporates before adding more stock.
- Once it’s all cooked, add the chicken,cooked peas, parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Can I cook chicken risotto with leftover chicken?
Absolutely! You can use any leftover chicken you have, or even rotisserie chicken. That will only bring the cooking time down. You can just follow all the steps, and add the chicken in the end with the peas and parmesan.
Can I make risotto without white wine?
I actually don’t use alcohol at all in my risottos, and they always turn out perfectly. The wine may add more flavour, but cooking without it is no big problem.
I’m not actually a big fan of alcohol in general, so I don’t really go out of my way to buy it only for cooking. But, if you do want to add some, it can be added just after the rice is in, and let it cook before adding any chicken broth.
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Creamy Chicken Risotto with Peas and a kick of parmesan, one of my favourite Italian dishes that can be served in under 30 minutes. Comforting, delicious, this is one of those quick and easy dinner recipes that the whole family can enjoy, fussy kids included. My homemade chicken risotto does not use white wine, but it's so flavourful, it really does not need any, and it takes just like a restaurant-style dish. Simple, tasty, awesome!
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- a knob of butter
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- fresh parsley
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Dice the chicken breast, season well with salt and pepper and add one tablespoon of oil to a frying pan.
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Fry the chicken until tender and cooked through. Remove from the heat, add a splash of lemon juice and set aside.
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Chop the onion and add the remaining oil and butter to a pan. Fry the onion until golden, then add the rice and stir for 1 minute on a medium heat.
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Next, start adding the chicken stock, one ladle at a time, stirring continuously. Once the liquid is absorbed, add another ladle of stock until it is all used up.
At this stage, the rice is creamy and cooked through.
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Separately, boil the frozen peas in salted water for 10-15 minutes. Drain the water and set aside.
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Add the peas, chicken, parmesan, season with salt, pepper and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
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Serve immediately!
- Click on the US Customary link to see the measurements displayed in cups and ounces.
- The servings can be adjusted by clicking the number next to Servings.
