Today's recipe is a lucky dip from the savoury part of my little black box. This chicken risotto recipe is one I collected from my mother-in-law, Mary, one of the best cooks in Gippsland. I tend to tweak it a bit - well quite a bit judging by the amount of blue below - depending on what I have in the pantry. My usual tweaks are in the brackets in blue. Preparation and cooking times vary depending on the vegetables chosen and the state of the cook but I can usually have it on the table within 45 minutes of dicing the meat.
Chicken Risotto
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, cut up [or 4 chicken thigh fillets - they are usually more tender and flavoursome]
1 onion [or 2 shallots - the French sort, not spring onions]
2 cups arborio rice [I usually substitute Clever rice as it's fairly fail-safe]
1/2 cup white wine [can be replaced with water and a teaspoon of vinegar for a bit of acid]
1/2 teaspoon chilli paste [or a sprinkle of chilli powder or one small mild fresh chilli]
2 teaspoons coriander paste [can use 1/2 teaspoon of dried coriander or a handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped]
Small can of corn [I prefer to use kernels sliced from one or two fresh corn cobs]
1 tablespoon olive oil
20g butter
2 cups chicken stock [or 2 cups of water with two chicken stock cubes will do]
Capsicum, zucchini, sliced - any other vegetables [I usually use a carrot, a capsicum, some sliced mushrooms, a small stick of celery, a couple of potatoes, maybe a tin of tomatoes (or a squirt of tomato paste), a handful of peas or beans - frozen peas will do]
Grated cheese [my favourite is grated parmesan, a staple in my freezer, but grated pizza cheese is a good alternative for a softer 'stringier' texture]
Method:
Brown chicken and onion [or shallots] in oil, add butter, stir in rice gradually. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add chilli and coriander, stir through.
Add wine [or water if preferred], simmer till absorbed.
Begin adding stock, 1/2 cup at a time.
Add vegies, corn with juice [if used canned corn] last. Add extra water if necessary. [Carrots usually take about 15-20 minutes to cook, other veges a bit less. Test a piece of chicken and a piece of carrot with a fork to see if they are done the way you like them.]
Stir through grated cheese so it melts just before serving.
[Need a change from chicken? Try replacing the chicken fillets with a couple of fish fillets - rockling or gummy shark/flake work well - adding the fish a couple of minutes after the vegetables so the fish isn't overcooked.]
[If you don't have coriander or chilli available, a good slurp of a stirfry sauce, something with soy sauce, chilli, lemongrass, honey or lime - that sort of thing - or teriyaki sauce or something similar will produce a tasty result.]
[Experiment! That's the best part of "Kitchen Chemistry".]
