Chicken & Vegetable Arborio topped with Stir Fried Chicken

My fellow blogger Archita when shared her Chicken & Mushroom Risotto recipe, I couldn't resist myself to recreate the dish at my kitchen soon. I grabbed a pack of Arborio, one of the verities of Risotto and made this healthy filling dish the Chicken & Vegetable Arborio topped with Stir Fried Chicken for dinner. The recipe Archita shared is very nice but I wanted to try it in my own way. The specialty to cook this Italian dish is to use butter and cream. Usually however you cook the dish it will always give you a creamy texture feel because of the high starch contain. And to put more creaminess to it more cheese, cream and butter are always welcome to the Italian kitchen. But now we are too much health and calorie conscious and try to avoid more these kind of high calorie oriented foods in our daily food intake. Though I cooked it in my way how I felt my family would love it, I was a bit worried whether my daughter would love it or not. But she enlighten  by showing her complete satisfaction after tasting the dish. P too passed me a pleasing smile after tasting it. If you ask my opinion I liked it most as I had the side of the stir fried chicken. Both paired so nicely that the combined flavour  did leave a  complete satisfaction.

A varity of the Risotto family,  this slightly oval-shaped, short and fat  Arborio rice looks pearly and white in exterior. This short-grained rice  used primarily in the classical preparation of Risotto which originally  cultivated in Italy and then spread to USA. Because of its high starch contain the cooked rice leaves a creamy starchy texture to the dish.

"Arborio rice is an Italian short-grain rice. It is named after the town of Arborio, in the Po Valley, where it is grown. When cooked, the rounded grains are firm, creamy, and chewy, due to its higher amylopectin starch content;thus, it has a starchy taste but blends well with other flavours. It is used to make risotto, although Carnaroli, Maratelli and Vialone Nano are sometimes used to prepare the dish. Arborio rice is also used for rice pudding."(Source: HERE)

Ingredients:

To Marinate:

Boneless Chicken Breast: 200gms

Wine Vinegar: 3 tbspn

Red Chilli Sauce:  2 tspns (More or less)

Light Soy Sauce: 1 tbspn

Salt & Sugar : As per taste.

For the Arborio:

Arborio: 1 cup (Yields  2 Adults and 1 kids in moderate amount)

Corn Kernels: 1/4 cup

Baby Corn: 4 cobs (Sliced lengthwise)

Mushroom: 5-6 (Sliced)

French Beans: 1/4 cup chopped

Tomato: 1 medium (Sliced)

Garlic: 1 tbspn Chopped

Olive Oil: 2 tbspns

Water: 3 cups+ more

For the Stir-fry:

Olive oil- 3tbspn

Capsicum: 1 small (sliced lengthwise)

Dark Soy Sauce: 1 tbspn

Method: 

Cooking the Arborio:

1. Make the chicken two halves. Slice one half lengthwise  and the other half in small cubes. Marinate all with the ingredients given below the Marinate head In the same bowl just keep of cut sized chicken separately. Keep for 10-15mnts.
2. Add oil in the pan. Let it gets hot. Add the chopped garlic. Fry them till they turn brown.
3. Add the chicken cubes, tomato and saute for a while. Add all the vegetables. Add salt and sugar. Keep on frying for 3-4 mnts.
4. Add the Arborio and saute for couple of minutes. Add 3 cups of water. Take a spoon and pls taste if you need some extra salt or sugar.
5. Cover it with a lid and then cook till the Arborio gets nicely cooked. Pls keep on checking if it needs some extra water or not and keep on stirring in between too as it tends to stick to the bottom. If needed then keep on adding  very small amount. When done serve hot.

Cooking the Stir Fried Chicken:

1. Add oil in Kodai/Pan. Let the oil gets hot. Add the remaining lengthwise cut chicken along with the juice left from it.
2. Cook it in high flame. Keep on constantly stirring. When it will get cooked add Soy Sauce and Capsicum. Fry for sometime. Then serve them along with the Arborio.

Note:

1. It is always better if you do not wash any risotto rice. As the starch contain of gets away after washing. But you are too skeptical about hygiene et al then just light wash once.
2. It tastes much much better tasty if you cook it in Chicken/Vegetable stock rather than cooking in plain water.
3. The vegetable version will be same just you have to omit the chicken.

This one is the last post of the Blogging Marathon Event which we thoroughly enjoyed of Kolkata Food Bloggers. The Bloggers participating in it:

1. Amrita - Vishal @ http://amritavishal127.blogspot.in/

2. Archita @ http://architashomecooking.blogspot.in/

3. Indrani @ http://riappyayan.blogspot.in/ 

4. Sayantani @ ahomemakersdiary.com