The Italian dish of chicken risotto has become widely known among culinary experts since the 19th century. This is a hearty and at the same time light dish that is liked by almost everyone who has tried it at least once. Recently, among Russians, it is becoming increasingly popular.
Rice with a high starch content is best suited for chicken risotto. These are varieties of caranaroli, arborio or vialone nano. The latter variety is rarely found in Russian stores. The cooking process has its own characteristics. We list the basic rules.
- It is always necessary to choose the right rice variety.
- Rice varieties for risotto contain two types of starch, which allow it to remain hard inside and soft outside. Therefore, you can not wash the rice with water.
- The broth must be prepared in advance.
- Rice should be pre-fried for 30 seconds in butter. You can use olive or sunflower oil, it all depends on the region and rice variety. The taste will be different, but you should always saturate the grains with oil well so that they darken the outside and remain white inside.
- Pour the broth into the rice gradually, in small portions. Try to adhere to the proportions of the broth and cereals 5: 1.
- Add salt and pepper to the risotto at the end of cooking.
- Use cheese and dry wine of excellent quality for the dish so as not to spoil the risotto.
Italian culinary specialists generously share the recipe, tell in detail how to cook risotto with chicken so that the dish does not cause disappointment in an inexperienced person. According to Italians, risotto can be cooked in 17 minutes. But all the ingredients must be prepared well in advance.
Let's start with the chicken stock. To do this, it is more convenient to take a large pan, fill it with cold water by 2/3 and dip the washed, gutted and cut into pieces chicken into it. It is allowed to use several chicken, from which legs and breast fillets are cut. That is, there should be enough bones in the broth.
For broth, it is best to use drinking water in a five-liter can from the store to feel the chicken flavor and aroma. Add a pinch of salt and crushed peas. Cook over high heat until boiling. Then remove the foam with a slotted spoon, reduce heat and cook for 2 hours.
Add the onions and carrots fried in a dry pan into the broth, cut into small pieces. You can (optionally) add parsley or celery root , green pea pods, a slice of lemon peel. Half an hour before being ready to pour a glass of dry wine into the broth. Five minutes before the end of cooking, lower the garnish bouquet. It is collected from several branches of parsley, thyme, one branch of celery and 1 bay leaf. A bunch of greens should be wrapped with bay leaves, tied with a long thread that can be wound to the handle of the pan and tossed a bouquet into the broth. By the end of the thread, it will be easy to take it out of the broth when the time comes.
Strain the broth, pour into a clean container and cool. Part of it is used for risotto with chicken, and part is frozen for the future.
To make risotto, it is best to use Parmesan cheese, good quality dry wine and butter, not vegetable oil. Onions must be cut very finely, according to the size of the rice so that it cannot be felt on the teeth. You can use saffron for beauty and better taste, but it is a very expensive pleasure.
An important step in the preparation of risotto with chicken is the "soffritto", that is, the basis for rice. Onions and carrots are fried over medium heat, but do not allow burning. Then rice is quickly poured into the pan, which is constantly stirred and changes in its color are achieved outside. Then dry wine is poured and alcohol is evaporated. This stage is called the โtoasturaโ.
The most important step is adding broth to rice. In a pan with rice and vegetables, you need to quickly pour 1 or 2 soup ladles of the broth so that the liquid covers the cereal. Stir rice continuously until liquid is absorbed. Then gradually add the broth and continue stirring the risotto until the rice is completely absorbed.
After 10 minutes add mushrooms, stewed vegetables, if a risotto with chicken and vegetables is being prepared, and continue cooking. After 17 minutes of constantly adding the broth and mixing the rice, it will be ready, that is, it will become soft, but it will retain a hard core.
At the last stage of the โmantecureโ, grated cheese and cold pieces of butter are added to the finished dish. Everything is carefully mixed and served hot. To risotto with chicken retained a beautiful appearance and exquisite taste, you must eat it immediately. You need to enjoy its aroma while it is hot, because if the dish stands for a while, it turns into a sticky mass.