Lemon Butter Chicken Risotto in a Dutch Oven
This lemon butter chicken risotto in a Dutch oven is a yummy dinner for the entire family. It is creamy, delicious, comforting, and easy to prepare.
Table of contents
My eating habits evolve around eating all food groups in moderation but focusing more on veggies and grains. Protein from meat sources is still on my plate, but I eat leaner meats. And chicken fits this model perfectly.
In my post, How to Start Eating Clean for Beginners, you can read more about the clean eating model. And, for this Lemon Butter Chicken Risotto in Dutch Oven, I found that chicken thighs go better than chicken breasts.
Picking the Right Rice for Risotto
When it comes to grains, rice has been a daily choice in many cuisines around the world. I remember, as a graduate student talking to my friend from India. We were international students in our program and enjoyed discussing customs from our home countries. I was shocked to learn that in the part of India that my friend was from, they eat rice for every meal daily. Even for breakfast! We eat rice in Serbia frequently, but you usually find it in meals once or twice a week.
I found that about half of the world gets about 50% of its nutrients from rice. Just think of countries such as China, Japan, and India. And when you think of all these nations, it is scarce to see they are overweight, even though they eat so much of it. So, there must be some benefits to eating rice.
Rice is rich in carbohydrates; in just 0.5 cups of rice, there is about 9% of the daily recommended value. It is also rich in protein, and the main difference between white rice and brown rice is that latter is rich in vitamins and minerals. This is due to the white rice being processed and stripped of the vitamins and minerals commonly present in the bran and germ. This is analogous to the difference between white flour and whole wheat flour I described in my Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip recipe.
I also came across an excellent article about rice in Japan, explaining why rice is eaten so much there, stating that the central role of cooked rice is to capture and amplify all the main dish’s flavors. And this is an addition to make you feel fuller for longer.
But, since there are so many different types of rice, it is essential to pick the right ones for your dish so that all the flavors get expressed. And when it comes to risotto, the rice of choice is the short-round one, with a higher starch content than the long-grain ones. This is important in the cooking process, as the starch gets released during cooking and stirring and is responsible for the sticky, creamy texture of risotto.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This delicious and easy lemon chicken risotto meal can be prepared in less than 1 hr. And this is usually the time I am aiming for. I tried many times to prepare meals that are labeled 30-minute meals, but it always takes more than that. Maybe I am just slow.
So, I am not going to lie to you. You will need time to marinate and cook the chicken before you add it to the Dutch oven with rice. But how you prepare the chicken is the key to an excellent taste of this lemon butter chicken risotto. So let’s get started. These are the ingredients you’ll need:
- 1 lb chicken thighs, cut into small cubes
- 1 1/2 cup rice. I used Paella rice here as the round grain goes perfectly in risottos. If you use brown rice, you must adjust the cooking time as it cooks for longer.
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup white wine (optional)
How to Prepare Lemon Butter Chicken Risotto
- The first thing you’ll want to work on is marinating the meat. Mix 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon to prepare the marinade. Add one chopped garlic clove, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp ground paprika, 1 tsp thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the marinade to the meat and let it marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes (the longer, the better) in a glass container with a lid.
- The meat tastes best when cooked on a cast iron grill, but it can also be prepared in a regular pan. Do not discard the marinade from the glass container when you transfer your meat to cook.
- When the meat is browned, transfer it to the plate until ready for the next steps.
- In the meantime, chop onion and celery.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a dutch oven, and add chopped onion—Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add chopped celery and cook for additional 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Wash the prepared rice and add it to the dutch oven. Mix everything well and cook for 1-2 minutes with stirring.
- Add 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup white wine to the leftover marinade in the glass container (you can omit the wine and add 3 cups of water).
- Pour the liquid over the rice and veggies, add cooked meat, and cover with the lid.
- Cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. It is important not to overcook the risotto and let all the liquid evaporate, as it will be dry. So, check occasionally to see that the rice is soft but not dried up.
- Heat the oven to 200 C (400 F), and transfer the lemon butter chicken risotto with lemon rounds added on top.
- Baked for about 10 minutes. Serve while still warm.
Other Great Recipes to Try
Lemon Butter Chicken Risotto in a Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs
- 1 1/2 cup rice round grain
- 1/2 onion medium, chopped
- 4 celery stalks chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp paprika ground
- 1 tsp thyme dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 lemon freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup olive oil + extra 2 tbsp
- 3 tbs butter
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup white wine optional
Instructions
- The first thing you'll want to work on is marinating the meat. Mix 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/2 freshly squeezed lemon to prepare the marinade. Add one chopped garlic clove, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp ground paprika, 1 tsp thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the marinade to the meat and let it marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes (the longer, the better) in a glass container with a lid.
- The meat tastes best when cooked on a cast iron grill, but it can also be prepared in a regular pan. Do not discard the marinade from the glass container when you transfer your meat to cook.
- When the meat is browned, transfer it to the plate until ready for the next steps.
- In the meantime, chop onion and celery.
- Heat butter and olive oil in a Dutch oven, and add chopped onion—Cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add chopped celery and cook for additional 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Wash the prepared rice and add it to the Dutch oven. Mix everything well and cook for 1-2 minutes with stirring.
- Add 2 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup white wine to the leftover marinade in the glass container (you can omit the wine and add 3 cups of water).
- Pour the liquid over the rice and veggies, add cooked meat, and cover with the lid.
- Cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. It is important not to overcook the risotto and let all the liquid evaporate, as it will be dry. So, check occasionally to see that the rice is soft but not dried.
- Heat the oven to 200 C (400 F), and transfer the lemon butter chicken risotto with lemon rounds added on top.
- Bake for about 10 minutes. Serve while still warm.
