Chicken and Pumpkin Risotto
Cozy and warming, this chicken pumpkin risotto makes the most of seasonal produce and is perfect for a fall dinner!
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 651kcal
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Parchment papper
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil divided
- ½ small Hokkaido pumpkin approx 1 cup, peeled, diced or butternut squash
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs diced
- 1 medium shallot or ¼ white onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup arborio rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves finely diced
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
- 6 sage leaves optional, to garnish*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390F / 200C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the pumpkin into half. Remove the seeds and slice one half into rounds about half an inch thick. Place in a single layer on your baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle over the dried thyme. Bake the pumpkin for 25 minutes. Once it is cool enough to handle, remove the peel and dice into small pieces.**
- Pour the chicken broth into a pot and heat on the stovetop. Keep it warm during the cooking process on a low heat.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towel and dice into small pieces. Drizzle olive oil in your skillet and sear and cook the diced chicken thighs on a medium heat until you have some browning and they are cooked through to 165F using a meat thermometer. Set aside on a plate and cover to keep warm.
- If your skillet seems dry, add a touch more oil. Cook the diced shallot for a few minutes, then add in the garlic and nutmeg. Tip in the arborio rice and toast for a minute or so.
- Over medium heat, ladle the chicken broth into the skillet, stirring often and adding about ¼ cup each time the rice has absorbed the liquid. This should take about 20 minutes, and you may not need to use all the chicken broth.
- Add the cooked chicken pieces, diced pumpkin and tablespoon of fresh sage leaves. Stir well, add a little more broth if required to the consistency you like and season with salt and black pepper. Ladle into your serving bowls.
- If you like crispy sage leaves as a garnish, heat olive oil in a small skillet and fry sage leaves for about 45 seconds, until they are crispy.
Notes
*to make fried sage leaves for a garnish, add olive oil to a small skillet and heat until it shimmers. Add the sage leaves and fry for 30-45 seconds until they go crispy.
**if using a butternut squash, carving pumpkin or sugar pumpkin then you will need to peel the skin off. If using a Hokkaido pumpkin, the skin is soft and edible, although personally I prefer to remove it to make risotto.
- There are a few types of pumpkin that will work well for this risotto including Hokkaido (also known as red kuri and onion squash), butternut squash, carving pumpkin and sugar pumpkin.
- You may not need all the chicken broth if you like a thicker risotto.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- pumpkin scores 0, but particular pumpkins aren't noted.
- chicken broth will depend upon ingredients used and preparation method.
- garlic, which scores 1.
- shallot isn't rated. White onion can be used as a swap.
- nutmeg, which scores 1 with a note, 'small amounts are well tolerated'.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
Nutrition
Calories: 651kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 172mg | Sodium: 682mg | Potassium: 2066mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 4710IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 6mg
