Santa Fe Chicken Risotto
This recipe is a masterpiece, it tastes and looks great! I pondered it's
creation over many days, finally coming up with this incredible recipe that I
now share with you. It combines the gentle yet original flavor of the risotto
with a sharp contrasting taste of the chicken. It's a very light tasting dish
with a Tex/Mex twang. Despite the use of fresh jalapeño pepper, this dish is not
overly spicy and gentle on the stomach. This recipe is sure to be featured on
one of the television episodes of Buon Appetito Providence. If you're a
photographer, this is a great dish to photograph; if you get a great picture,
submit it to us and we'll post it giving you credit.
Difficulty (Scale from 1-10): 7
Makes: 8 servings
This recipe is made with 2 separate recipes that are combined in the end.
Ingredients for marinated grilled chicken
1/3 cup cilantro roughly chopped
lime juice from 2 limes (If the limes aren't juicy use a third lime)
1 zest of lime grated
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 jalapeño pepper - deseeded and deveined - roughly chopped
1.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts
Ingredients for risotto
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper - sliced thin (1/2in wide), cut to 2 inches long
1 yellow bell pepper - sliced thin (1/2in wide), cut to 2 inches long
1 large Vidalia onion - chopped
1 jalapeño pepper (deseeded & deveined) - finely chopped
2 teaspoons of Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of saffron
2 cups of white rice
4 cups of chicken broth
1 (10 ounce) block of sharp cheddar cheese - grated
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Preparation of marinated grilled chicken
In a blender or food processor add cilantro, lime juice, zest of lime, kosher
salt, olive oil, and jalapeño pepper; liquefy and make sure that the mixture is
uniform.
Add mixture and chicken to a re-sealable plastic bag (making sure all of the
chicken is coated) and marinate 1-5 hours, . If possible, turn mixture over
several times during the 1-5 hours to insure uniform marination.
Cook chicken on a grill or griddle (while adding the remaining marinade on top
of the chicken), until tender - do this while risotto mixture is simmering.
Slice into bite sized pieces and serve on top of risotto mixture (listed below).
Preparation of risotto
In a large pot combine olive oil, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, onion,
and jalapeño pepper.
While stirring, cook over medium-high heat until onions become translucent.
Reduce heat to medium
Add salt and saffron and continue cooking until peppers soften (Remember to
stir, be sure not to burn vegetables).
Stir in rice, making sure that all of the rice is coated.
Continue to cook on medium heat while stirring until some of the oil is absorbed
into the rice (3-5 minutes).
Add chicken broth slowly while stirring (1 minute).
Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is
tender.
While simmering grill the marinated chicken
Remove from heat and add cheddar cheese, add salt & black pepper to taste.
Serve risotto and top with chicken.
Enjoy your meal!!