How To Make Chicken And Tomato Risotto Recipe (With Video)
In this post, I will share the Chicken and Tomato Risotto Recipe with you, it is another risotto recipe that I favor, and my family asks for. Cooking risotto is not complicated, and you shouldn’t be intimidated by it. The two essential factors needed to make the perfect risotto, besides the high-quality ingredients, are cooking on low heat and having patients. Those 20 to 25 minutes of standing close to the stove and stirring the risotto are sure worth it! Please watch the video guide in this post to help you.
What is risotto?
As per Wikipedia, it is “a northern Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency.”. To me, risotto is a creamy sophisticated dinner that can please a crowd and adopt all the flavors you add to it.
Try my chicken risotto recipe. If you are not fond of tomatoes in your risotto.
What do you need to make risotto?
Chicken breast – The way I cut and cook the chicken keeps it tender during the cooking process, but you can use chicken thighs if you wish.
Arborio rice is what I always use when making risotto recipes, but you can also use Colavita or Campanini rice.
Chicken stock – Use chicken stock that’s less in sodium; you will have more control over the amount of salt in the recipe. You can also use chicken bouillon instead. I will mention how many cubes you will need to make chicken stock from chicken bouillon in the recipe card.
Onion – Use yellow onion since it is sweeter, but I always use red onion because I love the taste.
Garlic.
Tomato paste – Use the one with no flavors.
Olive oil and Unsalted butter – You can use one fat only, but the combination gives a lot of flavors.
Heavy cream – for richness and creaminess.
Parmesan cheese is a traditional ingredient to risotto and adds a lot of flavors. After adding Parmesan cheese to the risotto, check if the risotto needs salt since Parmesan has salt.
Salt and black pepper.
How to make Chicken and tomato risotto?
Before we start, keep in mind that you don’t have to keep stirring the whole time.
Prepare the chicken stock – First, we have to prepare the chicken stock. In a pot or a saucepan, heat the chicken stock and add the tomato paste, let it come to a boil, and let it cook for two minutes, then let it simmer.
Cook the chicken – Since we make risotto with chicken, we must cook the chicken first. So, in a large pan, add olive oil and butter; when hot, add the chicken.
Do not move the chicken until it turns brown from the bottom and cook the other side. Searing the chicken is important since it will capture the juices inside and prevent drying.
Sauté the onion – Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for a minute on medium heat.
Add the rice – It’s time to add the arborio rice; you don’t need to wash or soak this rice. Keep the heat on low. Stir the rice for two minutes, trying to coat it with the oil. Coating the arborio rice with oil will prevent it from turning mushy while cooking.
Pour the stock – Pour a ladle from the simmering chicken stock to the rice and stir occasionally. When the rice absorbs all the liquid, add another ladle of stock. Keep doing so until the rice is cooked, taking 20 to 25 minutes. Do not increase the heat and rush the process; you won’t get that creamy texture. The risotto should be al dente.
Let’s end this the right way – Add the black pepper, Parmesan cheese, and cream. Mix well. I didn’t add salt since the chicken stock and parmesan had enough.
Serve immediately; risotto is not a dish to cook now and serve later.
PS: We are making alcohol-free risotto; hence we are not using dry white wine!
Which rice to use for risotto recipes?
Arborio is full of starch and when cooked properly, you get to enjoy a creamy risotto. I use it because this type is available in almost all the stores where I live, and when I learned how to make risotto, I used Arborio rice. However, the next rice is considered the best rice for risotto!
Carnaroli – This is the rice most Chefs use when making risotto. It has more starch than Arborio, so you don’t have to add cream to your dish, and it is forgiving rice since it can better tolerate the constant stirring than Arborio.
Vialone Nano – Like Carnaroli rice, it gives you a creamy and delicious risotto and takes lesser time to cook.
Can I use regular rice to make risotto?
Yes and no, well, it depends on the type of rice you are using to make risotto. You can’t make risotto with jasmine or basmati rice. No long grain rice will work since it has less starch, you have to wash it, so there goes more starch while washing. Besides, long grain rice will break while stirring it, and you won’t get a creamy texture but will most probably have mushy rice.
Short grain rice can work, some have used Japanese sushi rice, and although the result was not as good as with risotto rice like arborio, it worked, and you can use it if you are craving risotto and can’t find the rice in the stores near you.
How do you make risotto creamy?
There are two ways. Either use Carnaroli rice with more starch or use less starchy risotto rice and add heavy cream.
But the number one tip should be to never, ever wash risotto rice!
How to reheat the leftover risotto?
When the risotto cools, it becomes dry. Store it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days. To reheat it, scoop a serving on a plate and add to it half tablespoon butter and three tablespoons water, microwave for 40 minutes, stir and continue heating in the microwave.
To reheat on the stovetop, place a serving in a small pan, add half tablespoon butter and two tablespoons of water, stir the mixture, and add more water if required.
How to make this recipe vegetarian?
Instead of chicken, you can use mushrooms. To make mushroom risotto, fry the mushrooms for two minutes and then add the chopped onion and follow the rest of the steps in this recipe. Other vegetables you can use are spinach, peas, and carrot. Usually, lemon juice is poured at the end of some risotto recipes, but since we are using tomato paste, we will skip the lemon.
How To Make Chicken And Tomato Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 gm chicken breast cut in bite-size
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 5 cup chicken broth read the notes for substitute
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 small onion finely chopped or shallot
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves minced Please read the notes
- 3 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
Instructions
To prepare the stock
- In a saucepan, add the chicken stock and the tomato paste and let it boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer. Or add two low sodium chicken bouillon to 5 cups of water and let it come to a boil and then add the tomato paste and let it simmer.
To prepare the risotto
- In a medium pan, Add the olive oil and butter. When the butter melts and the pan is hot, add the chicken. Don’t flip the chicken until the bottom has brown patches. Flip the chicken and cook the other side.
- Add the chopped onion and stir until it’s translucent, then add the minced garlic and stir for a minute until you smell the aroma of the garlic.
- Now, add the arborio rice and stir; this step is crucial because it will prevent the rice from turning mushy—Cook for two minutes on medium heat.
- Pour a ladle from the simmering stock into the rice mixture and stir the rice every few seconds. Stirring continuously will make the rice mushy. When the rice fully absorbs the stock, add another ladle and repeat the step until no stock is left.
- It’s time to add the black pepper, parmesan cheese, and cream. At this stage, check if your risotto needs more salt and add if required. Mix well and immediately serve and garnish with fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
- You can reduce the amount of heavy cream to 3 tablespoons and the Parmesan cheese to two tablespoons for a little less creaminess and lower calories.
- Instead of or Arborio rice, use Vialone Nano or Carnaroli.
- If the tomato paste is on the sour side, add half a teaspoon of sugar to the recipe to balance the flavors.
- In some countries, whipped cream or heavy cream is sweetened. Make sure you are using the unsweetened cream.
- You can skip adding Parmesan cheese.
- Arborio rice does not need washing or soaking.
- If you don’t have chicken stock, then add two chicken bouillons to 5 cups of boiling water.
