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Chicken Risotto with Healthy Vegetables
Risotto is a popular dish, both in Italy where it originated and around the world. The one thing that nobody really likes about it though is all the stirring that risotto entails! Traditional risotto recipes mean you have to stand over the pot, stirring the rice mixture for nearly the whole cooking duration, which is a lot of work and tricky if you are trying to do other things at the same time. Fortunately the following crockpot risotto recipe does not require constant stirring.
The resulting texture will not be exactly the same as risotto made on the stovetop but it is not too far off. This recipe calls for Arborio rice, the traditional rice for making this classic Italian recipe, and this chicken risotto is really creamy and delicious.
Arborio rice is a high starch rice, which means the starch is released when you stir the dish a lot. You can use Swiss chard instead of the baby spinach if you want and switch some of the other vegetables around too. The chili is optional and the chicken broth should be a low sodium variety.
Creamy Crockpot Risotto
Ingredients -
½ cup dry white wine
4 ½ cups chicken broth
1 onion, in ¼ inch dice
3 tablespoons water
¾ lb chopped chicken breast
1 chopped tomato
2 cups Arborio rice
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup grated parmesan
1 cup diced pumpkin
3 cups baby spinach
1 tablespoon salt
1 zucchini, in ½ inch cubes
1 chopped red chili
Black pepper
Preparation:
Bring the broth to a simmer in a saucepan.
Brown the chicken in a skillet, then transfer it to a 6 quart crockpot.
Melt 3 ½ tablespoons of the butter in the same skillet, then sauté the pumpkin and onion for 4 minutes.
Add the wine and scrape up any stuck-on bits.
Cook for a couple of minutes or until the wine reduces by half.
Stir in the rice and cook it until all the wine is absorbed.
Transfer the mixture into the crockpot.
Add the tomato and chili. Add the pumpkin, zucchini, hot broth, and salt.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 1 hour, stirring the mixture halfway through.
When most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente (tender with just a little bite left) the risotto is ready.
Switch off the crockpot and stir the spinach into the risotto until it wilts.
Stir in the cheese and the rest of the butter and use black pepper to season the risotto.
Serve immediately with extra cheese; freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano is the best choice for this.
(Serves 6)
Photo Description:
This is a very colorful recipe, as you can see from the photo, and a healthy one too. It might contain butter and cheese but it also contains plenty of grains and vegetables, making the dish balanced and nutritious. Perhaps you did not know how easy it was to cook a healthy risotto recipe in a crockpot but now you do. If you love risotto but hate all the watching and stirring it involves, a slow cooker risotto recipe might be the answer to your prayers because you will get a delicious, creamy, and authentic Italian tasting risotto without sweating over a hot pan for half an hour. Let the crockpot do all the work instead of you!
