Chicken Pot Pie Risotto

It's just like me to decide that the hottest day of the summer is also the day to make risotto, a dish that you have babysit on the stove. It's a good thing this turned out well.

Notes: Risotto can be fussy, but it's worth it. The rice has a creamy, rich texture that you just don't get from regular rice. You make risotto using arborio rice, which you can find at the majority of grocery stores these days. It's usually right there with the other rice. You use a special method to make it. Instead of bringing water to a boil and then adding the rice, you add the warm liquid to the rice. This allows the starches to develop, which is how you get the creamy texture. 

This is essentially chicken pot pie over rice rather than in a pie crust. You make the filling just as you would if you were planning to bake it into a pie.

There are several steps to this dish, so you should do some things ahead of time. To make shredded chicken, I throw chicken breasts in a slow cooker for about 5 hours on low (set it for 8 and then check it at 5, if it comes apart easily and there's no pink, it's done). I did this step the day before I made the risotto. I also roasted the vegetables this morning and just kept them in the fridge until I was ready to make dinner. 

If you'd rather not do that much work, feel free to get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. You can also use some of the frozen mixed veggies. 

Ingredients:

For the rice:

1 cup of arborio rice

4 cups of water or chicken stock (approx)

2 tbs of butter

Salt and pepper 

For the chicken pot pie filling:

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

1.5-2 cups each of:

-Broccoli florets

-Celery, diced

-Green beans, cut into bite-size pieces

-Carrots, diced

-Frozen peas

-Frozen corn

1 onion, diced

5 tbs butter 

1/3 cup of flour

2 cups of chicken stock

1 cup of milk (not skim)

Olive oil

Nutmeg (a pinch)

Salt and pepper

Directions: Start with your roasted veggies. Put green beans, carrots, and broccoli on a baking sheet (you can mix them together). Drizzle them with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast them at 425 for about 15 minutes. When they're done, set aside while you prep everything else. 

For the risotto, pour the 4 cups of chicken stock into a sauce pan heat it on medium. Heat a large skillet on medium-high and add a little butter. When the butter melts, add the dry rice, stir, and toast it just for a minute. Add about four ladles of stock to the rice and stir. Let the rice bubble away until it starts to look dry and then add two more ladles of stock. Continue this process until the rice is done. The timing will depend on your rice, it will be between 25-40 minutes. 

When the rice is about halfway done, start the pot pie filling. 

In a large skillet or stock pot, heat the 5 tablespoons of butter on medium-high. When it's melted, add the diced onion and celery to the pot and cook until translucent. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the flour. Cook for about 3 minutes and then whisk in the 2 cups of chicken stock. Stir well and then add the milk. Add the nutmeg and season again with salt and pepper. If the mixture gets too stiff, just add a little more milk until it loosens up. 

When the milk mixture thickens a little, stir in the chicken, the roasted veggies, the peas, and the corn. Let everything heat together (about 5-7 minutes). Add the rice and stir everything to combine. Serve (preferably on a day that isn't so hot) and enjoy!