Chicken Risotto is a delicious one-pot meal that’s super flavorful and easy to make! This dish is simple to make and perfect for any occasion.
This recipe for Chicken Risotto is truly a warm bowl of comfort. Full of pureed veggies and diced chicken thighs, this arborio rice recipe comes together fast and has so much flavor!
If you love risotto recipes, be sure to try this Mushroom Pea Risotto or these Risotto Cakes. For a delicious chicken and rice casserole, check out this Chicken Broccoli Rice Ritz Casserole or this easy stovetop Stuffed Peppers Skillet.
Eggplant lovers be sure to try this easy recipe for an Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich! And, if you have leftover holiday turkey, don’t miss this Turkey Orzo Soup recipe.
Why this Recipe is the Best!
This recipe for Chicken Risotto is a far cry from boring chicken and rice dishes. This one-pot meal is packed full of flavor and is the comfort food you are craving!
To start, the dish has a pureed veggie combination of carrot, celery, and onion. This puree then gets cooked beforehand. Doing this adds a delicious depth of flavor and color to the rice.
Here, I used diced boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, instead of chicken breasts. The thighs are not only more cost effective, but add a rich and deep flavor to the recipe.
The entire dish is made in one pot for less mess and easier preparation. Plus, you don’t risk losing any flavors that develop while making the dish in your dutch oven.
If you’ve made risotto before, you were probably overwhelmed by the amount of stirring you had to do with the rice. Here, you add the risotto, turn the heat down low, and let the arborio rice work its magic.
So, if you are looking for a quick weeknight dinner, or something delicious to entertain with, be sure to give this Chicken Risotto recipe a try. Read on to see how easy it is to make.
Recipe Ingredients
To make Chicken Risotto, you will need: chicken broth, arborio rice, parmesan, parsley, garlic, butter, olive oil, kosher salt, chicken thighs, celery, carrot, onion, white wine, and bay leaves.
- Chicken: this recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken thighs that are cut into small bite-sized pieces. You can use substitute chicken breasts here if you’d like. Be sure to trim off any excess fat from the chicken.
- Arborio rice: this short grain rice is high in starch and perfect for making creamy risotto, without any cream! You can substitute any short grain rice, but know that it will change the final texture of the dish.
- White wine: the white wine is used to deglaze the pan and give the arborio rice extra flavor. Try to use a dry white wine if you have one. You could also omit the wine and use extra broth instead.
- Chicken broth: I like to use store-bought low sodium chicken broth for this recipe. That way you can adjust the salt. Be sure the stock is hot when adding it to the pan.
How to Make Chicken Risotto
If you are intimidated to make risotto, you shouldn’t be! This one-pot recipe comes together quick and is full of delicious and comforting flavors.
Step 1: dice the carrots, celery, and onion into large chunks. Place them in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
Step 2: pulse the veggies until they form a paste. You want them pretty well diced here.
Step 3: add olive oil to a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in the diced veggies and cook until the veggies form an almost a paste-like texture.
Step 4: to the pot of veggies, add in the diced chicken thighs and bay leaves. Cook the chicken until it starts to brown on the outside; about 5-6 minutes. No need to cook the chicken through at this point.
Step 5: deglaze the pan by pouring in the white wine. Bring to a simmer.
Step 6: add in the hot chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Then, scrape up any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Step 7: add in the arborio rice. Then, stir the mixture well, bring to low simmer, and cover. Cook, stopping to stir every 5 minutes or so, until the rice is al dente.
Step 8: stir in the butter, parmesan, and parsley. Let the chicken risotto sit, covered, to thicken slightly before serving. Serve with more parmesan and parsley on top.
Tips for Making Chicken Risotto
- Use a large dutch oven for this recipe. You will need plenty of space for cooking so opt for a bigger 4 quart dutch oven if you have it.
- To make a creamy and rich risotto without any cream, use arborio rice. You can find it in the grain section of most grocery stores.
- Chicken thighs are great for getting a melt-in-your mouth bite of chicken. Choose the boneless, skinless chicken for easy prep. Then, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
- If your risotto has too much liquid, cover the pot and let it sit to thicken. Then, starch will absorb the liquid leaving you with the perfect creamy bite.
- Refrigerate leftover risotto in an airtight container for up to a four days. You can also freeze individual portions for a quick and easy meal.
Risotto FAQs
Risotto is a traditional Italian rice dish made with a high-starch, short grain rice called arborio. The starch content of the arborio grain help to make risotto creamy without any additional cream added to the recipe. This particular type of rice is essential for making traditional risotto.
Arborio rice is a short-grain, high starch rice that is traditionally used for making risotto. It is capable of absorbing a lot of liquid without becoming mushy. Traditional rice can become overcooked more easily and doesn’t absorb as much liquid.
Risotto seems like a rich dish that’s full of cream, however, properly made risotto doesn’t need any additional cream at all. The arborio rice is full of starch which helps to make the risotto creamy. To get this creaminess, be sure to use hot stock with the risotto and stir it frequently to release the starches.
Once your risotto is cooked, finish it by stirring in a couple tablespoons of butter. Then, add in parmesan and some diced parsley.
More Italian One-Pot Recipes
Cheesy Ham and Asparagus Pasta
Chicken and Broccoli Tortellini
Shrimp Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or review in the comments section further down the page.
Chicken Risotto
Equipment
- food processor with blade attachment
- 3 to 4 quart dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion, cut into large chunks
- 1 cup peeled carrot, cut into large chunks
- 1 cup celery, cut into large chunks
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 5 cup hot low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Place the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse until the mixture is finely chopped and almost paste-like in texture.
- Pour the olive oil into the dutch oven over medium high heat. Add in the vegetable mixture and half a teaspoon of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables have started to dry out.
- Add in the cubed chicken, remaining salt, and bay leaves. Stir the chicken and cook until the chicken begins to brown slightly; about 5-6 minutes. Add in the wine and cook until it has mostly evaporated; about 5 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pan while the wine bubbles and cooks.
- Pour in the 5 cups of hot broth and bring to a boil. Add in the arborio rice and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cover the pot to cook the rice. Stir the rice every 5 minutes scraping the bottom of the pan and continue cooking until the rice is al dente; about 20-25 minutes total.
- Once the rice is cooked stir in the butter pieces until well combined. Then stir in the parsley and parmesan cheese. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes to allow the excess liquid to absorb. Serve with extra parmesan and parsley sprinkled over top.
Video
Notes
- Use a large dutch oven for this recipe. You will need plenty of space for cooking so opt for a bigger 4 quart dutch oven if you have it.
- To make a creamy and rich risotto without any cream, use arborio rice. You can find it in the grain section of most grocery stores.
- Chicken thighs are great for getting a melt-in-your mouth bite of chicken. Choose the boneless, skinless chicken for easy prep. Then, cut the chicken into bite sized pieces.
- If your risotto has too much liquid, cover the pot and let it sit to thicken. Then, starch will absorb the liquid leaving you with the perfect creamy bite.
- Refrigerate leftover risotto in an airtight container for up to a four days. You can also freeze individual portions for a quick and easy meal.
I really enjoy the process of making risotto. I love that you made it into a main dish. Looking forward to making this soon for dinner!
Looks delicious! I’m new to cooking risotto so I cannot wait to test out your recipe.
My husband made this for me last night and I had to come here to say thank you! It was absolutely delicious, and I love how you pureed the vegetables to incorporate into the creamy risotto! We’ll definitely cook it again!
This risotto is amazing! I mean how yummy does it look?! I can only imagine the taste of it right now.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe that you described and directed beautifully. It helped me understand more about cooking a great risotto. Nothing was altered or changed, btw!
Thanks Debbie! I’m so happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I was looking for a one pot rice recipe to make when I found yours. Just made it, my husband and I loved it. It really was delicious.
I’ll be making it again. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment Mary Ann. I’m so happy you and your husband enjoyed it! 🙂
The most informative and comprehensive recipe I’ve ever encountered. Bravo! On this week’s menu- can’t wait
Delicious! Great recipe, thank you!
Amazing recipe! We are in small town New Zealand so no bay leaves but still beautiful!
I loved this recipe because it showed me how to cook arborio rice without burning it. I didn’t make a vegetable paste. I like to know what is in my food and I sauted all my vegetables in olive oil but did not cook them. I like chewy vegetables that aren’t cooked to death and all the nutrients get cooked to death. I had precooked chicken which I sauteed alittle and I mixed the vegetables keeping the carrots separate. I added mild hatch chili pepper since it was August and that is the only time of year it is available and red pepper and sliced portobello mushrooms. So I added in the carrots at 10 minutes from the end of the rice cooking and I did that for 25 minutes. Then added the butter and parmesan to the rice and added all the chicken and vegetables later and topped with parmesan and italian parsley. It was delicious but perhaps others would rather have cooked vegetable. Didn’t use the wine and I think the bay leaves were superfluous.