Poached Chicken Risotto with Tarragon and White Truffle Oil

Oh, creamy, cheesy, truffle-y, chicken-y risotto heaven. How I love thee. This is an incredibly rich weeknight (or party time) meal; it requires a lot of attention and stirring but the results are fairly heavenly. There are some pretty decadent ingredients (saffron, truffle oil) which you can decide to use if you want to splurge. (Bailey note: I would suggest looking in Trader Joe's for the saffron--$5.99, yeeha!--and our HEB in College Station has very modestly priced truffle oil that I've been steadily been making my way through for over a year). The creamy rice is sumptuous and addictive and the chicken is tender, flavorful and really bolsters the satisfaction of the dish. A little goes a long way here and the serving described can easily serve five. A real winner.

I also need to just take a moment and talk about how obsessed I am with What Katie Ate. I had to wait nearly all summer for a copy to become available from our library and then proceeded to take it everywhere with me; work, camping, in the car, to the grocery store. It was a little ridiculous. I blitzed my way through a number of the recipes in the book before I had to return it to the library and quite a few of them will be making an appearance on this blog.

Poached Chicken Risotto with Tarragon and Truffle Oil (From What Katie Ate)

2 dried bay leaves
½ tsp whole black peppercorn
2 x 7oz free-range breast fillets
5 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp butter
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
Pinch saffron threads (optional)
6 Tbsp white wine
Small handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup pecorino, grated, plus extra to serve
White truffle oil, for drizzling
A few tarragon leaves, optional

Place the bay leaves, peppercorns and 2 cups of water in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes to infuse the flavors. Add the chicken breasts, then cover and simmer over a low heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly, then drain and tear the chicken into strips.

Pour the stock into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to very low, then cover and keep it warm until needed. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large cast iron skillet. Add the onion and cook for five to 10 minutes or until softened. Add the rice and stir to coat with the onion mixture, then pour in the wine and simmer, stirring, until the liquid has reduced a little.

Add a ladleful of warm stock to the rice and cook, stirring, until it has been completely absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way until there is only one ladleful of stock left in the pan. Add the chicken, saffron, parsley and finally, the remaining stock. Stir to combine, then season to taste with salt and pepper. By now, the risotto should have a lovely creamy consistency. When the last of the stock has been absorbed, stir in the pecorino.

To serve, spoon portions of the risotto onto plates. Drizzle with a little white truffle oil, add a scattering of extra pecorino and one or two tarragon leaves (if using) then finish with a final grind of black pepper. Both a little bit of the truffle oil and a little bit of the tarragon go a long way, so always err on the side of caution! I actually preferred a bit more tarragon in mine, so you could set out a bit of the garnishes for your guests and let them season to their own tastes.