Friday 14 March 2008

Chicken and Chorizo Risotto


Risotto is a bit of a recent discovery for me, and since Andrew got me the Silver Spoon, I've experimented with a few different varieties. Lots of people seem to think that it's really difficult to make, but so far, that's not the experience I've had, although not all of my efforts have been tasted by anyone but myself. One of the things which tends to put me off Risotto in restaurants is the fact that they always tend to be some form of Mushroom Risotto, and with me being pretty much allergic to Mushrooms, it's not something I'm every likely to order. However, there seems to be an almost limitless variety to what you can have in a Risotto, and so I tend to use what I have to hand.

One of the things I like about Risotto is that with minimal ingredients in the house, I can quickly cook a simple meal in a small pan which is pretty tasty. I have tried using Chorizo in a Risotto before (as I was told it was illegal to use it in Paella) as I find it adds a nice flavour and texture to the dish when in small cubes, but this time, my creation ended up being somewhere between a Risotto and a Jambalaya. Not particularly traditional, but very tasty all the same. I made enough so that I could take some and reheat it at work the next day, and although it's definitely at its best when fresh from the pan, it was still very tasty. The boys in the office who had some all gave it the thumbs up.

Recipe Chicken and Chorizo Risotto (serves 2-3)

  • 1 Chicken Breast, cut into cubes
  • 1 Round of Chorizo, cut into cubes
  • 2 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 Onion, chopped
  • 1 Red Pepper, chopped
  • A knob of Butter
  • 1 cup of Arborio Risotto Rice
  • 1 cup of White Wine
  • 1 pint of Chicken Stock
  • 1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 cup Peas
  • 1 cup Sweet corn
  • 50g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • Freshly grated Black Pepper

Add the Chorizo cubes to a pan over a medium heat and as it starts to release some of the fats, add the Chicken pieces, and stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the Chicken and Chorizo with a slotted spoon and keep to one side.

In the same pan, add the Garlic, Onion and Red Pepper and cook for about 5 minutes or so, until the Onion is turning transparent. If the pan is quite dry, add in a knob of Butter, turn the heat up a bit, and once melted, pour in the Risotto Rice and stir into the Onion and Pepper. Cook for about 3 or 4 minutes, stirring to ensure it doesn't stick or burn, then pour in the White Wine. This should help de-glaze the pan, and you should let cook until it is almost all evaporated.

Now you should add the Tabasco and Worcestershire Sauce, and then you can start to add the stock, about a ladleful at a time. Stir occasionally to ensure the Risotto doesn't stick, and as the Stock is absorbed by the Rice, add in another ladleful. After about 20 minutes, just as the rice is becoming al-dente, add the Chicken, Chorizo, Sweet corn and Peas into the mixture. Add a little more stock if necessary and continue cooking on a low heat for a few minutes. Finally, stir in the Cheese and Black Pepper, then cover for 5 minutes before serving.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Are you not updating anymore? *sniff*

Anonymous said...

I just love risotto and think this sounds wonderful.

Anonymous said...

I love chorizo, it adds so much flavour to the food especially in risotto, I always add plenty of parmesan too.
Great blog by the way:-)
X M

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for overcoming my lifelong hatred of risotto. Cooked it tonight for moi et mon fils numero uno. His 'feedback'- 'FANtastic Ma! Can I have the recipe?' Seriously good comfort food and left me nicely full without being bloated. Now having a look through your other recipes which sound equally good. Nice blog - good design and I like the pics. You are inspiring me to follow suit.

Anonymous said...

This was my first effort at making risott and have to say it was FANTASTIC. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.

Anonymous said...

I had chicken and chorizo risotto last week in Melbourne, I raved so much about it to my other half he said I should try and make it. I think your recipe sounds like all the ingredients that was in the one I had last week, I wonder if the chef in Melbourne is using your recipe?

Emmie said...

Sounds great to me, and like others here chorizo sounds a great combination.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...