Easy Chicken Risotto with Zucchini
Easy Chicken Risotto with Zucchini is an elegant and easy weeknight meal for family and friends! Try one of our variations on this dish to use up whatever veggies you’ve got in your fridge.
Risotto is unique in that all of the starch in the rice grains makes it’s own creamy sauce. The best way to achieve the creamy consistency that risotto is famous for is by SLOWLY adding in your cooking liquid (in this case, chicken broth).
When I say “add it slowly”, what I mean is to add in a ladle of hot stock, then stir stir stir until the liquid is mostly absorbed and then adding your next ladle full.
You don’t want to add all of the stock at once because you will miss out on the creaminess of risotto and it will take longer for all of the rice to cook.
Wine Pairing
This dish pairs well with any dry white (such as Chardonnay) or lightly sweet wine (such as our Ivory Mist). Add a little to the dish and then add the rest your glass with dinner.
Easy Chicken Risotto with Zucchini
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil separated
- 1 1/2 cups Risotto
- 1 cup dry white wine such as Chardonnay or Vidal Blanc
- 4 cups chicken broth hot
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 large zucchini quartered and sliced
- 1 large red bell pepper diced
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat 1 T oil over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and peppers and season with salt and pepper. Cook veggies until they have softened. Add chicken to the pan and cook until heated through. Turn heat to low until risotto is ready.
- In a large saucepan, melt butter and oil over medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic until onion is translucent. Add in rice and cook for 1 minute until the rice has absorbed some of the liquid and has turned opaque.
- Gradually add wine then add in chicken stock, 1 ladle at a time. Stirring until the liquid has been absorbed before adding another ladle.
- Continue ladling stock and stirring until all of the broth has been incorporated and the rice is tender. Add chicken mixture and Parmesan into the pot.
