Lemon Chicken and Asparagus Risotto
- Savory
- Italian
- Creamy
- Stovetop
- Oven
A creamy one-pot risotto with golden chicken, tender asparagus and peas, finished with lemon zest, juice and parmesan so every grain tastes bright and fresh.
- Total
- 55 min
- Prep 15 · Cook 40
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Searing · Absorption rice
Instructions
-
Warm the chicken stock in a small saucepan over low heat and keep it at a gentle simmer. Cut the chicken breast into 2 cm pieces and season with half the salt and half the black pepper. Trim the woody ends from the asparagus and cut the spears into 3 cm lengths. Zest the lemon into a small bowl, then juice it.
~10 min
Keeping the stock hot means the risotto never cools down when you add liquid, so the rice cooks evenly and stays creamy.
-
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast in a single layer and sear until golden on the underside, about 3 minutes. Stir and cook until the pieces are just opaque outside, 2 more minutes, then transfer to a plate.
~3 min
Searing in a single layer browns the chicken through the Maillard reaction, building flavour, while a crowded pan would steam it grey.
Searing Get the pan hot and leave the chicken undisturbed in a single layer until it releases easily and is golden; moving it too soon prevents browning.
-
Lower the heat to medium. Add the risotto rice to the pot and stir for 1 minute so the grains are coated and lightly toasted. Pour in 250 ml of the hot chicken stock and stir until it is almost fully absorbed.
~1 min
Toasting the rice in oil seals the grains so they release starch gradually, which is what makes the final risotto creamy rather than gluey.
Absorption rice Add hot stock a ladle at a time and stir often, waiting until each addition is nearly absorbed; the rice should stay loose and creamy, never dry or soupy.
-
Add the remaining 750 ml hot chicken stock one ladle at a time, stirring often and waiting until each addition is mostly absorbed before the next. After about 12 minutes, stir in the asparagus and peas. Keep adding stock and stirring until the rice is creamy and tender with a slight bite, 6 to 8 more minutes.
~12 min
Adding stock gradually and stirring rubs the starch off the rice, creating the creamy texture; adding it all at once would boil the rice and wash the starch away.
Absorption rice Add hot stock a ladle at a time and stir often, waiting until each addition is nearly absorbed; the rice should stay loose and creamy, never dry or soupy.
-
Return the chicken breast and any resting juices to the pot along with the remaining salt and black pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, until the chicken reaches 74°C in the centre and the rice is tender.
~3 min
Returning the chicken at the end lets it finish cooking gently without drying out, and the resting juices add back flavour.
-
Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice. Taste, adjust the salt, and serve straight away while the risotto is loose and creamy.
~3 min
Off the heat, the parmesan melts into a smooth emulsion and the lemon stays bright instead of turning bitter or flat.
Add the lemon zest and juice only after the pot is off the heat: cooking lemon juice dulls its brightness and can make the rice taste flat.
