Chicken and Broccoli Risotto

A few weeks ago, I started craving risotto. I went to various cooking websites looking for risotto recipes, and I think I printed out four or five of them that sounded absolutely delicious. I found a recipe for broccoli risotto that I knew I wanted to try immediately, since I like to put one meat-free meal on our menu every week. But when Joe found out what we were having for dinner, he thought I should add some chicken to the risotto, which I agreed would probably work nicely with the other flavors. That's the great thing about risotto -- once you know the method, you can add practically any ingredients to the rice.

Joe and I both really liked this. The lemon flavor was very subtle, so if you like lemon I'd definitely increase the amount of lemon juice you use. This recipe serves about six people, but I made the whole batch so we'd have leftovers for our lunches -- and this actually worked very well as leftovers. Next time, I may omit the chicken against Joe's protests and stir in roasted asparagus instead of the broccoli; I think that would be equally as good!

Chicken and Broccoli Risotto
Source: adapted from Allrecipes

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 large sweet onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 cups hot chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups cooked broccoli florets
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish

1. Add some olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and pan-fry until browned and cooked through; remove from skillet.

2. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter to the same saucepan. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion begins to turn golden brown at the edges, about 2 minutes. Pour in the rice, and stir until the rice is coated in oil and has started to toast, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the white wine and lemon juice.

3. Cook and stir until the wine has mostly evaporated, then stir in one third of the chicken broth; continue stirring until incorporated. Repeat this process twice more, stirring constantly. Stirring in the broth should take 15 to 20 minutes in all. Stir in the cream, and cook 5 minutes before stirring in the broccoli, Parmesan cheese, and chicken. Cook and stir until the risotto is hot; season to taste with salt and pepper before serving. Garnish with parsley, if desired.