Easy Chicken Risotto with Farro

For some people, the aspect of making risotto is scary and can be difficult to master. Not only that, but it requires constant supervision for a long time, making it a difficult choice for a weeknight dinner. However, this abbreviated version takes out the guesswork by using ready to eat rice or farro and a reduced amount of liquids. Feel free to adjust this recipe to your own tastes by what meat (or sans-meat), vegetables and spices you use!

Note: Keep in mind my ingredient measurements here are approximate… I am a pinch of this pinch of that cook so if something looks too little or too much, adjust accordingly. Thank you!

Ingredients

  • 2-3 chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1 package Archer Farms Farro or Brown Rice Ready to Serve pouch
  • 2tsp Better than Bouillon Chicken & approx 2 cups of water (you can also just use chicken stock)
  • ⅓ cup of Wine or Cooking Wine – I used a Zinfandel
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 cup (or so) of veggies — your pick, I used peas & shredded carrots
  • ¼ – ⅓ stick of butter
  • Cheese – to taste, I used about 5 slices of Swiss and Cheddar combined
  • ¼ cup of Heavy Cream
  • Spices: sea salt, onion powder, paprika, nutmeg and thyme – you can use whatever you have on hand that blends well together

Directions

  1. In a small saucepan combine 2tsp of Better than Bouillon, water and wine and bring to a light boil. Once boiling reduce heat and keep warm.
  2. In a large skillet, melt 2 pats or so of butter and saute your chicken with sea salt until cooked and internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, about 8 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve.
  3. In the same pan, melt some more butter and saute the onion until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add a ladle full of broth and cook until the liquid evaporates.
  4. Add your other vegetables to the pan along with more of your broth mixture. Stir frequently and keep adding broth as it reduces. Reserve approx ½ cup.
  5. Once vegetables are fully cooked and the liquids have been reduced, approximately 5-10 minutes, add the remaining liquid and Farro to the skillet.
  6. After liquids have reduced some, stir in the cheese and heavy cream.
  7. Add all of your spices, and stir thoroughly. I did this about three times. On all of the spices, I used onion powder the most liberally, then salt, and only a pinch of nutmeg, paprika and thyme.
  8. Turn off the burner, and allow to cool and thicken for a few minutes before serving!
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Rakel is a wife, homeschooling mom of 1, christian, and entrepreneur living in sunny Florida. She's passionate about art, design and all things creative, and working towards becoming the best version of herself - mentally and physically.