Pesto Risotto with Marinated Chicken
I absolutely loved this meal. My low carb husband even cheated with his diet because this was so good. My daughter was eating the Pesto Risotto out of the pot. It was just that good. It makes a pretty presentation, too.
There are 2 recipes here. Once you get your risotto cooking in your pressure cooker, begin cooking the chicken breasts so that both dishes will be done about the same time. I wrote the instructions below to hopefully help with that.
Risotto in the pressure cooker is super-easy. You begin with the process of traditional risotto, sautéing the shallot and garlic in oil and butter, then stirring the rice until opaque. But in this recipe, you allow the pressure cooker to cook the rice without all the stirring and adding of the stock. The risotto cooks a lot faster, too, than the traditional stovetop method. Using the pressure cooker allows me to work on the chicken with both hands free, which is really handy. I realize this method is nonconventional, but when time is an issue and you have hungry family members, it is a wonderful method. And, it is creamy and delicious!
If you have a favorite marinade, feel free to use it!
Enjoy!!
Pesto Risotto with Marinated Chicken
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker for the risotto
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon roasted garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, not low sodium
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 dried bay leaves
Chicken:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pesto Risotto:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 5 cups chicken stock, lower sodium
- 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
- 7 ounces Pesto, store-bought or my Homemade Pesto
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Add all the marinade ingredients, except the bay leaves, in a 1-cup measuring cup. Using a wire whisk, blend all the ingredients very well.
- If the chicken breasts are thicker than 1 ¼”, carefully flatten the chicken breasts to 1" to 1 1/4" thickness. You can do this by placing the chicken in another sealable bag or between plastic wrap and gently pound with a meat mallet or pressing with the palm of your hand. Do not use a drinking glass or plate or something that can break and harm your hand.
- Place the chicken breasts, marinade and bay leaves in a sealable bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes up to 8 hours. (Place the bag in a refrigerator if marinating for more than 30 minutes.)
- After marinating time is up, begin making the Pesto Risotto. In a pressure cooker over medium heat, add the oil and butter.
- Once the fats are warmed, add the shallot and stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the rice and stir continually until the rice becomes opaque. Be watchful of the shallot browning too much. Lower your heat if necessary.
- Slowly add the chicken stock and stir.
- Lock the lid onto your pressure cooker and raise the heat to high and allow it to come to pressure.
- Once the indicator has alerted you that the cooker is now up to pressure, set a timer for 7 minutes. Now that the pressure cooker will sit and do its thing, start cooking the chicken breasts. See Step 13.
- After the 7 minutes, do a quick release for the pressure cooker. Once the indicator has alerted you that it is safe to open, open the lid away from you.
- Stir the risotto. Add the Parmesan cheese and pesto and stir to combine all together. If the risotto needs more time or liquid, you may add more stock and continue to cook on the stovetop.
- Taste for seasoning, adding salt as needed.
- For the chicken, heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat. (I like my cast iron Lodge grill pan.) Add ½ tablespoon of oil in the pan.
- Remove the chicken from the bag and allow the excess marinade to drip off and into the bag. If any pieces of the bay leaves are sticking to the meat, pull those off and discard. Discard the marinade.
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Cook the chicken approximately 5 minutes per side, or until a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside partially covered to keep warm.
- To serve individually, portion the risotto into 4 bowls. Slice each chicken breast into slices and fan one breast over each bowl of risotto.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
I’m a sucker for pesto and risotto, so when my mom cooked this for dinner I was super excited. It was so good!! The creamy risotto with the grilled chicken blended so well together that I went back for more. This meal is a must for anyone who likes food 😉
I’m proud to call the author of this blog my mom!