This parmesan chicken risotto is comfort food at its best! It’s buttery, flavorful and loaded with chicken and veggies.
This will forever be a favorite at our house. It’s crazy flavorful, loaded with the perfect combo of veggies, and topped with the easiest, cheesiest chicken you’ll ever make. Give this one a try, you’re gonna love it! For more delish easy ristotto’s to try, check out Instant Pot Asparagus Risotto and Instant Pot Weeknight Risotto.
A Delicious Spin on Risotto
Risotto is an Italian dish in which the rice is cooked in chicken broth until it reaches a creamy consistency. This recipe isn’t a “traditional” risotto, although it is similar, made of creamy rice mixed with flavorful sauteed vegetables and topped with parmesan chicken. It’s DELICIOUS!
A few weeks after the birth of our second child, friends from church brought us the most amazing dinner! It was a risotto-like dish loaded with sautéed veggies and topped with crispy, crusted parmesan chicken. We licked our plates clean and went for seconds (our toddler too)! I knew I had to ask for the recipe. How could I not? It was absolutely delicious, our entire family was smitten.
Chase told me it was something he had whipped up without a written recipe, so he graciously offered to re-make it. He showed up at our door with a big dish full of it along with the coveted recipe. I cannot thank him enough for all of the time and effort he’s dedicated to this dish. We will definitely treasure this recipe forever, I hope you will too.
I’ve made his version three times now, adjusting it a bit here and there. The recipe below is perfect for our family of four, it leaves a little bit leftover for lunch the next day, which is always a bonus!
Ingredient Tips
Arborio rice: A short-grain rice is important for risotto because it has the most amylose, which is a chemical that gives a gelatinous consistency. This is super important for the correct risotto texture! Don’t try to use long grain rice because it won’t produce the right consistency.
Parmesan cheese: We don’t use any bread crumbs in this recipe, just parmesan cheese! So make sure you use quality cheese. Kraft and Sargento are general brands that you can find just about anywhere, but you can use any brand you prefer.
Why white wine? The wine isn’t necessary, but it lends good flavor and a bit of acidity to the dish. You can easily substitute chicken broth for the white wine, or just omit it entirely.
How to Make Parmesan Chicken Risotto
CHICKEN. First, you’re going to want to coat your chicken in the mixture of cheese & seasonings. Yep, no breadcrumbs here. Just cheeeese! Then you’ll toss it into skillet and sear both sides until golden brown.
Transfer it to a lined baking sheet and toss it into the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and let it rest. It should look nice and golden brown like the picture above.
SAUTE. While the chicken is finishing in the oven, set a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the butter. When the butter melts, add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Pour in the white wine and reduce until the onion is moist, but not swimming.
RICE. Pour in the arborio rice, then the chicken broth. Boil, reduce heat, cover, and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Once the rice is fully cooked, turn the heat off, cover and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
(Tip: You may need to add up to ¼ cup of extra broth if your rice is still firm. I started with 3 cups of broth and ended up using a total of 3 ¼ cups.)
VEGETABLES. While the rice is cooking, set large skillet (I just wiped out the one I used for the chicken) over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and cook until they’re nice and dark. Add the asparagus. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, then add the sun dried tomatoes along with the reserved oil, artichokes, garlic powder, salt, pepper and lemon juice.
COMBINE. Combine the vegetables with the rice (I usually toss them into the Dutch oven), then season with salt and pepper to taste.
GARNISH & SERVE. Transfer to a large casserole dish and top with slices of cooked chicken. Garnish with a sprinkle of grated parmesan. Serve it up while it’s still hot and watch it disappear before your eyes.
Serving and Storing
What to serve with this? This is a great and filling main dish, so pair it with something light. Or a delicious dessert!
- Fruit Salad
- Chopped Thai Salad
- Raspberry Bars
- No Bake Grasshopper Pie
- Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Store: You should store your risotto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Since we are topping this with chicken we recommend storing the risotto separately. This way each component lasts longer, or you can even enjoy them separately.
Reheat: To reheat your risotto you need to take it out of the fridge and add a little bit of water/broth and then reheat it in the microwave. Make sure to stir the risotto so that it keeps the creaminess while it’s reheating.
Freeze: To freeze your risotto, let it cool completely and then place it in freezer safe bags or tupperware containers. It will last a couple of months in the freezer and can be reheated with the addition of more liquid. Do be aware, however, that freezing rice often results in a grainy texture after it is reheated.
For more chicken and rice dishes, check out:
- Chicken, Sausage, and Rice Skillet
- Instant Pot Fiesta Chicken and Rice
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Curried Chicken with Brown Rice
Parmesan Chicken Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts - filleted
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
For the Risotto
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion - diced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 2 cup arborio rice - OR short grained white rice
- 3-3 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lb crimini mushrooms - sliced
- 1 bunch asparagus - ends removed and stalks cut into thirds or fourths
- 1 (9 oz) jar sun dried tomatoes - julienned (reserve the oil)
- 1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts - coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lemon - juiced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat; set aside.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.
- In a shallow dish, combine the parmesan, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and paprika, using your fingers, mix together. Place the chicken in, one at a time, pressing to form a breading or coating on the chicken. Place into the hot pan and sear each side until golden brown.
- Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and allow to rest.
- Meanwhile, set a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add butter. When the butter melts, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Pour in the white wine and reduce until the onion is moist, but not swimming. Add the rice, then the chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce, cover and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed. You may need to add up to ¼ cup of extra broth if your rice is still firm. Once the rice is fully cooked, turn the heat off, cover and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, set large skillet (I wiped out the one I used for the chicken) over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Cook until brown, then add the asparagus. Cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, then add the sun dried tomatoes along with the reserved oil, artichokes, garlic powder, salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- Combine the vegetables with the rice, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a large casserole dish and top with slices of cooked chicken. Garnish with grated parmesan if desired.
Instant hit with the family! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome. I’m glad they loved it!
This chicken risotto was incredible, it had so much flavor and it was so rich, I could not get enough, one of my top ten favorite dinner recipes!!
Breaking in to the top ten is a big deal! I’m so glad you loved it.
My kids are really picky and they loved this chicken risotto. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
Winning over a picky eater is such a huge win!
So flavorful, this restaurant quality dish saved my anniversary dinner.
Perfect date night meal and Happy Anniversary!