Recipe: Chicken with Risotto and Chimichurri

If you're thinking of having chicken for dinner tonight, hold everything! We have a delicious idea for how to make it, with a few tasty twists. We’re pan-searing chicken, and serving it with Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto and a home-made Broccolini Chimichurri. This recipe was shared by Chef Dernier Buleje from The Dan restaurant, inside Tampa's Hotel Flor. Click here to see his previous recipe for Shrimp & Grits.

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Risotto with Mushroom and Asparagus 

Ingredients

• 6-7 cups chicken, vegetable, or garlic broth or stock, as needed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ cup finely chopped onion, or 2 shallots, minced
• ¾ lb wild mushrooms
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp rosemary, minced
• 1 ½ cups arborio or carnaroli rice
• ½ cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup asparagus, cut on a bias and blanched
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Bring stock or broth to simmer, with ladle nearby. Make sure stock is well seasoned, and keep simmering.
2. Heat oil in wide, heavy nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add onions or shallots and cook gently until just tender, 3 - 5 minutes.
3. Turn up heat and add mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to sweat, about 3 minutes, then add garlic, thyme and rosemary. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper and continue to cook over medium heat until soft. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Add rice and stir until grains begin to crackle. Add wine and cook, stirring, until wine is no longer visible in pan. Stir in enough simmering stock to just cover rice. Stock should bubble slowly. Cook, stirring often and vigorously, until stock is just about absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of stock and continue cooking, not too fast and not too slowly, stirring often and adding more stock when rice is almost dry, for 15 minutes.
5. Continue adding stock and stirring for another 10 minutes. Rice should be tender all the way through but still ‘al dente’. Taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Add another ladleful or two of stock to rice. Stir in parsley, blanched asparagus, Parmesan, heavy cream and remove from heat. Season and enjoy!

Broccolini Chimichurri 

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 oz red wine vinegar
• 1 lemon, juiced, no seeds
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• ½ cup broccolini, charred and chopped
• 6-8 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 level tsp coarse salt

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together. 
2. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to release flavors into oil before using. Ideally, let sit for more than 2 hours, if time allows.

Pan Seared Chicken Thighs 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lb chicken thighs
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• granulated garlic, to taste
• dill, to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup white wine
• 3 tbsp butter

Directions

1. Preheat skillet with oil over high heat. While heating, pat chicken thighs dry with paper towel and season with salt, pepper, garlic, and dill.
2. Sear chicken, skin side down, then flip until both sides are golden brown (about 2–4 minutes per side).
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic, sear until garlic browns, add white wine, chicken broth, and butter. Simmer chicken until it reaches internal temperature of 165° F.
4. Remove chicken from heat, garnish with broccolini chimichurri over risotto and serve.

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