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Traditional & Easy Italian Chicken Arborio Rice

by Katie Heath
A hearty warm pot of chicken and creamy rice
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 stock pot or large saute pan with lid

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breats, cut into one inch pieces
  • 1 cup onion, cut into chunks
  • 1 cup carrot, cut into chunks
  • 1 cup celery, cut into chunks
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 5 cups hot chicken stock
  • 2 cups Arborio rice
  • 2 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
  • 3 Tbsp. Italian, flat leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan Reggiano, with more for serving

Instructions

  • In a food processor, blend the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until very fine, almost a paste.
  • To the pan, add olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the pestata (vegetable mixture) and 1 tsp. salt. Cook about 5 minutes until the mixture begins to dry out. Add in the chicken, bay leaf, and remaining salt. Brown the chicken pieces, about 5 more minutes.
  • Turn the heat up to medium high and pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Once wine has reduced, add in the warm chicken stock and rice. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for 14 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the chicken is cooked through. After the 14 minutes, check the liquid in the pan. If it still looks soupy, simmer 5 minutes more with the lid on.
  • Turn off the heat and add butter pieces and stir until melted. Add in parmesan and parsley. Serve warm in bowls with extra cheese on the side.

Notes

Katie's Tips:
* I like parsley the best, but I swap out with basil if that is what I have on hand.
*I pour the 5 cups of chicken stock in a large, glass, liquid-measuring cup and heat in the microwave for 2 minutes to get it warm before adding it to the pot.