Summer Lemon-Vegetable Risotto with Grilled Chicken

Risotto. Let's talk about it.

It's soooooo delicious. I love the texture and comfort of a good risotto dish. Risotto seems intimidating to most, but it's really, insanely easy. The trick? Stirring. Stirring a lot. But, it's well worth it in the end.

I made this recipe on Sunday night and it was quite yummy. I've already had leftovers twice, and I'm not a big leftover fan. It's packed with summer veggies, so nothing about this is plain. This Cooking Light recipe didn't call for chicken, but I had to add the protein for my man. I seasoned the chicken breasts with lemon pepper and grilled on a grill pan towards the end of making the risotto, so it was an easy add on. Oh, and if you liked this recipe, you'll love this risotto! It's in the same flavor family with the squash and lemon.

Summer Lemon-Vegetable Risotto with Grilled Chicken

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Ingredients:

8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half
5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 (8-ounce) zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 (8-ounce) yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Lemon Pepper
4 3/4 cups organic vegetable broth
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add asparagus and peas; cook for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add zucchini and squash to pan; cook for 7 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Season both sides of the chicken breasts with the lemon pepper. Set aside

Bring vegetable broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; cook until liquid is absorbed (about 30 seconds), stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup broth; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Reserve 1/4 cup broth. Add remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 22 minutes total). Stir in vegetables; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in reserved 1/4 cup broth and remaining ingredients.

Halfway through the risotto, throw the chicken on the grill pan or skillet and let it do it's thing.

Serve the sliced chicken over the risotto.

Enjoy!