Creamy Chicken Risotto with Peas

I will admit that most of my recipes have been blog-napped from other recipe blogs I follow. This happens to be one of them. I have heard horror stories about risotto in the past: how long it takes it to cook, how much stirring is involved, how if you don't do it EX-ACT-LY right it is ruined. And the best tidbit I heard: if you manage to make a decent risotto you are a true cook. So needless to say when I decided I wanted to tackle this risotto dish, I was a little petrified.

In the end, it didn't take half as long as I expected to make this dish. Yes, there was some excess stirring involved, but again, not at all like I imagined. And the result was SO worth the wrist pain in the morning. It turned out DELICIOUS! I was absolutely shocked and ecstatic at the same time. Paired with a fresh salad and this is the perfect meal.

Creamy Chicken Risotto with Peas

1 cup risotto
3 cups chicken broth
1 clove garlic, finely diced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup shredded chicken (I boiled the chicken first and then shredded it. When I make this again I will use more than 1 cup of chicken because I felt like it could handle more)
Frozen or fresh peas - as much as desired (I used frozen and heated them in the microwave before adding to the recipe. I used approximately 1 cup and that was a good amount)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Warm up broth in sauce pan and keep at a low simmer until ready to use.

2. Heat butter and oil in skillet/sautee pan over medium heat, adding chopped garlic and onion to cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add dry rice and 1/2 of the wine (so 1/4 cup) to pan with garlic and onions, coating with butter and garlic, cooking about 3 minutes (rice will absorb the wine).



4. Add 1 cup warm broth to rice and stir. Keep simmering and stir often until rice absorbs most of the liquids. Add 1 more cup of broth and repeat until absorbed. Add last of broth and simmer, stirring often.



5. Once rice has absorbed most of the liquids, add the last of the wine, peas, chicken, and cheese.

6. Simmer and stir until cheese is melted and chicken and peas are warmed up. Serve and enjoy!

[Side note to all you REAL chefs out there.... I don't want to know if the rumors I heard about risotto are true or not. I was very pleased with my result and like to believe that since I managed to create a delicious risotto first time out that I have been given a gift - the gift of cooking! LOL]