No Stir Chicken Risotto

Ok, ok, I know what the package of risotto says, “stir constantly,” right?  So what am I talking about?  No stir risotto?  Why yes, that is exactly what I’m saying!

Quite a few years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) and I attended a happy hour at the Space Needle in Seattle. It was one of those events where they bring in a chef and demo food and wine with a great view from the observation deck.  The chef they brought in made a risotto.  He said, “I know that many people are afraid of risotto, but really, there’s nothing to be afraid of!” and proceeded to teach us how to make a good risotto.  Needless to say, I am not afraid of risotto.  As a matter of fact, with a little prep work while my son is napping, it’s a really simple dish to make.  And my whole family loves it, so we eat it almost every week. 
Here’s the recipe:

No Stir Chicken Risotto

2 cups risotto

4 cups gluten free chicken broth (I like Costco Chicken Stock or Imagine Organics Chicken Broth)

1 lb chicken thighs

8-10 medium mushrooms

1 onion

Cheddar cheese to taste (I use about 1/2 lb (or 1-1/2 cups grated) of white cheddar)

Parmesan cheese to taste (I use about 1/3 cup, grated)

1/2 tsp Italian herb seasoning

Olive oil

Water as needed

In a 6 qt pot, heat chicken broth until a low boil.  Cube chicken and sauté in olive oil until cooked.  Chop onion and slice mushrooms. Once chicken is cooked, add mushrooms and onion and sauté until mushrooms are soft and onion is translucent.  Add risotto and Italian herb seasoning and mix well (I usually let it cook for about a minute. Don’t let the risotto stick to the pan).  Add heated chicken broth, stir to incorporate, and bring to a simmer.  Place a lid on the pan and let it simmer.

After 10 minutes or so, give it a quick stir to see if the risotto is sticking to the bottom. If it is, add some water (1 cup is usually plenty).  Put the lid back on it.  If it was really sticking, you may want to check it again.  If not, check it at 15 minutes or so.  Cook for 20 minutes or until rice is no longer crunchy. 

Grate the cheddar cheese and parmesan and mix it in. 

That’s it! How easy is that?

Note: To speed up the cooking process, I cube and sauté my chicken separately.  While this is cooking, I cook the mushrooms and onion, then mix it all together and add the risotto. It cuts 15-20 minutes out of the cook time.

Broccoli Casserole

I am on a quest to get my toddler to eat more veggies. 

I have been trying to make interesting, tasty dinners that have veggies in them, so he doesn’t necessarily get an option of eating them.  One of the vegetables that he doesn’t particularly care for is broccoli.  He will eat the stems in my Pan Roasted Broccoli recipe, but he won’t eat the florets, and that’s were all the good nutritious stuff is stored.

I can remember eating broccoli and cauliflower as a kid with a white cheese sauce on it, but then I think about the toddler running in circles around me at 5pm while I’m trying to make a rue at the stove and realize that white sauce is not a happening thing in my house, at least for next few years.

This recipe is an easy make-ahead casserole that is a complete meal.  I admit it’s not low cal, but I served it for the first time tonight and munchkin actually ate it. And he never eats things the first time I serve them, so I think it’s a winner!

To cut down on the prep time, I have often cooked chicken the day before or cooked, cubed and frozen the chicken.  Then when I have leftover rice, I use it up in the casserole.  This recipe also does well with the chicken omitted as a vegetarian casserole.

Note: If you’re gluten free, you’ll want to use a GF cream of mushroom soup. I like Pacific Foods, shown here.

Broccoli Casserole

2 packages of frozen chopped broccoli

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 or 3 cups of cooked brown or white rice (optional)

1 lb cooked chicken breast, chopped (optional)
Cheddar cheese to taste (I use 8 oz of extra sharp cheddar and 4 oz medium cheddar, use less if you don’t include the chicken and rice)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Pour into a 9 x 13 casserole pan and level.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until edges are brown and it is hot in the center.

Easy Brined Chicken

Spring is here! Yippee!  It’s time for barbequing season to start.  This is my favorite way to cook chicken on the barbeque.  Often chicken done on the grill is dry, but this chicken is moist and yummy.  If you’re feeling adventurous, play around with the seasoning. I’ve come up with some pretty good ones just using herbs from the spice rack and whatever happens to be in my frig.

My toddler son loves chicken cooked this way too.  It never fails!

This recipe is adapted from Williams Sonoma Essentials of Roasting Coockbook.

Easy Brined Chicken

1 to 2 lbs chicken breast or thigh, boneless, skinless

1/3 cup kosher salt

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tsp celery seeds

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 leek, white part and 3 inches of green, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (a chopped onoin will work too)

 4 or 5 fresh tarragon sprigs (optional)

Dissolve sugar and salt in approximately 1 quart of water completely.  Add all ingredients and marinate for at least 4 hours, up to 2 days.  Barbeque until chicken is cooked completely (170 degrees).