Italian Meat and Poultry Recipes - Chicken Risotto with White Wine and Tomatoes Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 pounds oven-ready chicken

• 9 cups water

• 2 celery sticks

• 2 onions

• 2 carrots

• 1/3-1/2 cup olive oil

• 3/4 cup white wine

• 12 ounces tomatoes, skinned and mashed

• 2 1/2 cups risotto rice

• 1/3 cup butter, softened

• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

• salt and pepper

• 2-4 tablespoons chopped parsley, to garnish

Serves 6

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Method:

1. Remove the bones from the chicken and place them in a large pan with the water. Add 1 celery stick, 1 onion, and 1 carrot and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 1!1,! hours. Strain the stock and keep hot.

2. Meanwhile, dice the chicken meat, removing and discarding all the skin. Finely chop the remaining celery, onion, and carrot.

3. Heat the olive oil, add the chopped vegetables and sauté until lightly colored. Add the chicken and cook, stirring constantly, for a further 5 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated.

4. Add the tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes, adding a little of the hot chicken stock if the mixture becomes dry.

5. Add the rice. Add the hot stock, a large ladleful at a time, stirring until each addition is absorbed into the rice.

6. Continue adding stock in this way, cooking until the rice is creamy but the grains are still firm. This should take about 20 minutes.

7. Remove from the heat, add the butter and Parmesan, and fold in gently. Cover and leave the risotto to rest for a few minutes before serving, sprinkled with parsley.

Note: Every part of a whole chicken is used in this hearty risotto-as you make the stock before you start to cook the rest of the dish.