Risotti are incredibly useful to use up all kinds of bits and pieces. Or, as here, using leftover roast chicken and a couple of vegetables to make something truly delectable.
How to make Italian chicken risotto
This leftover chicken risotto uses meat leftover from a roasted chicken. But you could easily use any fresh chicken that you have instead. I used half the stock made from simmering the stripped chicken carcass. There is masses of flavour in a home made chicken stock and it is useful for so many things.
- Start by melting butter in a pan and add chopped onion. Sauté until transparent. Add rice and stir around until that too is translucent to give a lovely toasty flavour. Add finely grated garlic.
- Add a little white wine vinegar and allow to evaporate.
- Add red pepper and celery chopped into small pieces.
- You can either use half fresh chicken stock made by simmering a chicken carcass and half water, or a stock cube. Boil the kettle and heat the chicken stock (if using). Now, add the stock cube (if using) and a ladleful of hot water. Stir every minute or so until the water is more or less absorbed. The stirring helps to release the starch from the rice and give it that lovely creamy texture of a good risotto.
- Keep adding the hot water and stirring until the rice is almost cooked. Risotto needs to be very moist, not dry like a rice accompaniment. So leave enough moisture in there.
- When the rice is almost cooked, add chopped pak choi and cook for a minute or two until it is tender.
- Add the chopped chicken now. If you are using leftover chicken, just heat it through. If you are using fresh chicken, cook it until white all the way through.
- Stir in half the cheese. Serve immediately with the remaining cheese and some chives if you have them sprinkled over the top.
Ingredients for this 30 minute chicken recipe
Proper home made chicken stock gives a big punch of flavour, or if you were stretching your chicken, you may have some home made gravy still in the fridge. That would be great here.
Arborio rice – I always use arborio rice for risotti, I think it makes a nicer creamier dish. But if you have only ordinary long grain rice, please go ahead and use that.
White wine vinegar – Rissoti usually use about half a glass of (usually) white wine. This is delicious. I’ve found that I can achieve much the same flavour profile by using white wine vinegar and of course, it is much cheaper.
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There is much to discuss about white wine vinegar which I won’t go into here. Things like the acidity, white vinegar versus white wine vinegar, shelf life and method of production. I have contented myself with getting a large 5 litre container of a general white wine vinegar which I use for cleaning as well as many little cooking jobs like this one.
What changes can I make to risotti?
Use any vegetables you like.
- diced carrot, parsnip, swede or turnip
- a lump of frozen spinach, finely shredded red, white or green cabbage
- a fresh tomato or so, or half a tin of chopped tomatoes
- finely sliced fennel, kohl rabi or celeriac
- swap the chicken for pork or prawns
The other recipes in the series of making the most of a chicken
- Roast chicken, 400g chicken, gravy, with stuffing, 4 portions
- Risotto, 140g chicken, onion, half the the stock, some vegetables butter and parmesan, 4 portions, this recipe
- Pizza, 117g chicken, tomato sauce, maybe some stuffing, 4 portions
- Spicy Pasta Bake, white sauce, 120g chicken, onion, spices, stuffing, 4 portions
- Tart, 100g chicken, onions, sweetcorn, couple of eggs, no cheese, stuffing, 4 portions
- Pie, 100g chicken, some of the gravy, onion, maybe some sweetcorn or mushrooms, maybe some stuffing, 4 portions
- Soup with the remaining half of the stock, red lentils, onion, spices, 4 portions
this comes out at a total of 28 portions, amazing!
This means that 1 medium chicken can be used to make 7 different budget family chicken recipes and feed your family for a week – bargain!
There is also a series starting with a poached chicken
- Poached chicken
- Spaghetti with olives, sultanas and lemon 140g chicken
- Oaty, nutty, seedy chicken and mushroom crumble 140g chicken
- Chicken and rice salad – red peppers from a jar, peas, gherkins, raisins 140g chicken and some of the stock
- Chicken and something Pizza, sweetcorn, onion, red pepper, mozzarella and cheddar 140g chicken
- Coronation Chicken Jacket Potato – 140g chicken
- Red Cabbage Waldorf with apple, walnut and dressing – 140g chicken
- Chicken Tart with Butternut Squash, Lemon Zest & Parmesan 140g chicken
this comes out at a total of 28 portions, which is amazing!
Other Risotti
Butternut Squash Risotto from our sister site Cheap Family Recipes
This is from the series on how to stretch a chicken to the max
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Course: , ,
Dinner
Lunch
Main Course
Cuisine:
Italian
Gluten Free
Gluten Free
Nut Free
Servings: 4 people
Cost per portion 78p
Calories: 386kcal
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Ingredients
- 160 g rice Asda £1.40/500g, 45p
- 50 g butter 20g, £1.75/250g, 35p
- 150 g onion chopped, 10p
- 1 clove garlic
- 30 ml white wine vinegar I used a 5 litre container £6.67, 4p
- ½ litre stock If you have no fresh chicken stock, use a chicken stock cube. Asda value are 4p
- ½ litre hot water
- 140 g chicken from a medium chicken, 46p
- 1 celery stalk 50p a head, 5p
- 1 pak choi £1 for pk of 2, 50p
- 200 g red pepper a whole pepper from pack of 3 for £1, 33p
Topping
- 50 g parmesan grated, Asda £3.20/200g 80p
- 20 g chives optional, I used some from the garden
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a pan and add the chopped onion. Sauté until transparent.50 g butter, 150 g onion
- Add the finely grated garlic1 clove garlic
- Add the rice and stir around until that too is translucent. This gives the rice a nice toasty flavour.160 g rice
- Add the white wine vinegar and allow to evaporate.30 ml white wine vinegar
- Add the chopped red pepper and chopped celery.200 g red pepper, 1 celery stalk
- Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Now, add the stock cube and a ladleful of hot water. Or heat the chicken stock in a separate saucepan and add to the rice a ladleful at a time. Stir every minute or so until the water is more or less absorbed. The stirring helps to release the starch from the rice and give it that lovely creamy texture, and keeping it hot helps to stop the rice cooling down too much each time you add a ladleful½ litre stock
- Keep adding the hot water and stirring until the rice is almost cooked.
Risotto needs to be very moist, not dry like a rice accompaniment. So
leave enough moisture in there.½ litre hot water - When the rice is almost cooked, add the chopped pak choi and cook for a minute or two until it is tender.1 pak choi
- Add the chopped chicken now. If you are using leftover chicken, just heat it through. If you are using fresh chicken, cook it until white all the way through.140 g chicken
- Stir in half the cheese. Serve immediately with the remaining cheese and the chives (if using) sprinkled over the top50 g parmesan, 20 g chives
Equipment Needed
Notes
Use any vegetables you like.
- diced carrot, parsnip, swede or turnip
- a lump of frozen spinach, finely shredded red, white or green cabbage
- a fresh tomato or so, or half a tin of chopped tomatoes
- finely sliced fennel, kohl rabi or celeriac
- swap the chicken for pork or prawns
The recipes in the how to stretch a chicken series
- Roast chicken, 400g chicken, gravy, with stuffing, 4 portions
- Risotto, 140g chicken, onion, half the the stock, some vegetables butter and parmesan, 4 portions this recipe
- Pizza, 117g chicken, tomato sauce, maybe some stuffing, 4 portions
- Spicy Pasta Bake, white sauce, 120g chicken, onion, spices, stuffing, 4 portions
- Tart, 100g chicken, onions, sweetcorn, couple of eggs, no cheese, stuffing, 4 portions
- Pie, 100g chicken, some of the gravy, onion, maybe some sweetcorn or mushrooms, maybe some stuffing, 4 portions
- Soup with the remaining half of the stock, red lentils, onion, spices, 4 portions
There is also a series starting with a poached chicken
- Poached chicken
- Spaghetti with olives, sultanas and lemon 140g chicken
- Oaty, nutty, seedy chicken and mushroom crumble 140g chicken
- Chicken and rice salad – red peppers from a jar, peas, gherkins, raisins 140g chicken and some of the stock
- Chicken and something Pizza, sweetcorn, onion, red pepper, mozzarella and cheddar 140g chicken
- Coronation Chicken Jacket Potato – 140g chicken
- Red Cabbage Waldorf with apple, walnut and dressing – 140g chicken
- Chicken Tart with Butternut Squash, Lemon Zest & Parmesan 140g chicken
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Stretch A Chicken (2), Chicken & Vegetable Risotto
Amount per Serving
Calories
386
% Daily Value*
Fat
17
g
26
%
Saturated Fat
9
g
56
%
Trans Fat
0.4
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
5
g
Cholesterol
48
mg
16
%
Sodium
933
mg
41
%
Potassium
805
mg
23
%
Carbohydrates
46
g
15
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
7
g
8
%
Protein
15
g
30
%
Vitamin A
11869
IU
237
%
Vitamin C
165
mg
200
%
Calcium
403
mg
40
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @ThriftyLesley or tag #ThriftyLesley !
This is super tasty, I was very happy with it when I made it. For something with so much flavour and so many veg, it’s amazingly cheap!