Name: Chicken Risotto with Crispy Sage and Prosciutto
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 40g unsalted butter; ½ tablespoon olive oil; 12 whole fresh sage leaves; 125g/2 banana shallots, peeled or 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped; 16g/4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed; 12 whole fresh sage leaves, shredded; 300g Arborio rice; ¼ teaspoon salt (plus a further ⅛ - ¼ if desired.); ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 250ml/1 cup dry white wine; 1 - 1.2 litres good quality vegetable, fish or chicken stock; 1 bay leaf or a sprig or two of fresh thyme or rosemary; 200g cooked roast chicken, chopped in small pieces; 60g Parmesan cheese, finely grated (or serve on the side); 60 - 90ml/4 - 6 tablespoons double cream; 20g unsalted butter; 6 slices of prosciutto, halved

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Creamy, buttery, and loaded with chicken, sage and salty prosciutto, this delicious risotto is simple and quick to make, packs a huge flavour punch and will convince your guests you are a genius in the kitchen!

I regularly make this risotto after we have had roast chicken. I use the bones to make a stock (recipe here) and the leftover roast chicken is perfect for this recipe. An excellent way to eek out a relatively small amount of chicken to feed 4 people.

This recipe is based on my Risotto – Core Recipe. It is made in exactly the same way and includes the following additions:

cooked chicken
chopped and fried sage
prosciutto

How to make Chicken Risotto with Crispy Sage and Prosciutto

First, collect all your ingredients together:

Basic risotto ingredients:
unsalted butter
olive oil
banana shallots or onion
garlic
Arborio rice
freshly ground black pepper
salt
dry white wine
good quality chicken stock
fresh herbs such a a bay leaf and/or a sprig of thyme or rosemary
more butter
fresh cream
parmesan cheese
Additional ingredients:
whole sage leaves
shredded sage leaves
chopped cooked chicken
prosciutto

Make the risotto:

melt the butter and olive oil over a medium high heat
add the whole sage leaves and fry on each side until crispy – around 1 minute per side
remove from the pan onto kitchen towel to absorb the oil
cook the shallots/onions until translucent and very slightly caramelised – around 5 minutes
add the garlic and shredded sage to the onions and cook for a further minute
next add the rice and seasoning. Stir well ensuring all the rice grains are covered in the butter/oil
pour in the wine and continue to cook to reduce the wine. Stir continuously as it reduces until it has almost disappeared
pour in all bar 200ml of the stock
bring to a simmer stirring continuously and enthusiastically
as soon as it comes to the boil, add the bayleaf (or thyme), cover and pop into a preheated oven for 10 minutes
after 10 minutes take it out of the oven and stir well
add the chicken, parmesan cheese, butter and cream and stir again to incorporate
alternatively do not add the cheese and serve with the risotto to sprinkle on top.
add some or all of the remaining stock if necessary. If adding more stock, make sure it is hot, if not, bring the risotto back to the boil before putting back in the oven
taste and adjust seasoning – it may need a little more salt.
Halve the prosciutto slices and scrunch a little. Place over the top of the risotto.
put back in the oven with NO lid for a further 5 – 10 minutes. Remove, cover and leave to sit for 2 – 3 minutes.
Top with the crispy sage leaves.

Alternatively:

You can cook without the risotto without adding the prosciutto on top and instead, fry the prosciutto in a pan until crispy (no extra oil needed) and scatter small pieces over the risotto when you serve it.

Get the risotto ready to go in the oven:

After the risotto has been cooking in the oven for 10 minutes:

Serve immediately:

Risottos continue to cook after you take them out of the oven, if you leave it for too long you may find your perfectly cooked risotto has become overcooked. If you find that too much liquid has been absorbed while you wait, simply add a drop more hot stock or cream to achieve the consistency you desire.

So what is perfectly cooked?

To me, that is having the rice only very slightly al dente and the overall dish quite soft and saucy. My husband prefers the rice to be softer and less sauce! We’re both right! Make it as you like to eat it and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! The timings I have given, give me a risotto I like, in my oven, in my pan and with the rice I buy. However, ovens vary and rice varies so you may find you want to cook yours for slightly more or less time. When you make the perfect risotto for you, make a note of your timings and when repeating it, remember to use the same or similar pan and buy the same rice. A large low sided pan will cook differently from a smaller taller pan. It sounds fiddly but I promise you it is not, just be a little patient and work out what works for you!

Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.

Chicken Risotto with Crispy Sage and Prosciutto

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Starter, Supper

Cuisine Italian

Keyword chicken, Italian, prosciutto, rice, risotto, sage

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4

Author Susan

Ingredients

40g unsalted butter
½ tablespoon olive oil
12 whole fresh sage leaves
125g/2 banana shallots, peeled or 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
16g/4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
12 whole fresh sage leaves, shredded
300g Arborio rice
¼ teaspoon salt (plus a further ⅛ – ¼ if desired.)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
250ml/1 cup dry white wine
1 – 1.2 litres good quality vegetable, fish or chicken stock
1 bay leaf or a sprig or two of fresh thyme or rosemary
200g cooked roast chicken, chopped in small pieces
60g Parmesan cheese, finely grated (or serve on the side)
60 – 90ml/4 – 6 tablespoons double cream
20g unsalted butter
6 slices of prosciutto, halved

Instructions

Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Preheat oven to Fan Oven 180°C/200°C/400°F/Gas 6
Melt the butter and olive oil in a medium sized casserole over a medium heat and add the sage leaves.
Cook until crispy on both sides turning half way through cooking.
Remove from the pan onto some kitchen paper to absorb the oil
Put the shallots/onion in a mini food processor and pulse until all are finely chopped. Alternatively you can finely chop them by hand.
Add the shallots/onion to the pan and cook for around 5 minutes until the onion is soft and slightly caramelised.
Add the crushed garlic and shredded sage leaves and cook for a further minute until aromatic.
Add the rice and seasoning, stir well to coat all the grains in the butter/oil and then add the wine. Cook, stirring, until most of the wine has reduced.
Add 1 litre of stock and the bay leaf or thyme/rosemary and bring to a simmer over a moderate heat, stirring continuously and enthusiastically.
Cook the risotto, covered, in the oven for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, take it out of the oven, add the chicken, butter, Parmesan (if adding now) and cream and mix well. Check the stock and the seasoning, adding more stock, salt and pepper if necessary.
Scrunch the prosciutto and place ad hoc over the top of the risotto.
Return to the oven, uncovered, for a further 5 – 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked to your liking and the prosciutto is crispy.
Cover and leave to sit for 2 – 3 minutes before serving. The risotto will continue to cook and thicken during this time; if you need to add any further stock to adjust the risotto, make sure it is hot when added.
Top the risotto with the crispy sage leaves.
To serve: serve with your choice of accompaniments and some grated parmesan cheese on the side.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

Medium oven proof cast iron casserole/Dutch oven
Chopping board and knife
Kitchen scales
Measuring spoons and measuring jug
Mini food processor, if using
Grater, if necessary

To serve:

Crisp green salad
Green vegetables such as roast/steamed broccoli or asparagus
Extra parmesan cheese
Fresh herbs
Garlic bread

Stock – the amount you use will depend on:

The type of rice you use
The stock
The other ingredients in the risotto
The real temperature of the oven
Your personal preference: i.e. how thick you like your risotto to be. There is no right and wrong answer!

Parmesan cheese is quite salty so it is possible that you will not need to add any extra salt. If you prefer your risotto without cheese, you will definitely need to add extra salt.