We’re in a bit of a lull right now. Not many weeknight commitments to make things harried. Honestly? I kind of like it, but I know it won’t be long until we’re under the gun again and running and scraping for every second we can find between the end of the school day and bedtime.
My favorite meals to cook are healthy meals that are, essentially, one dish. Everything in one that requires no side dishes or extra vegetables. I don’t really like to cook and serve too many casseroles. I really make a push to cook whole foods and to use products that don’t contain preservatives.
That’s why this dinner is so awesome. It meets all those requirements and has the added bonus of being able to use up leftovers. It can be as simple or as complicated as you like. It’s all up to you.
Easy One Skillet Risotto with Chicken and Veggies
1) Assemble your ingredients. Remember when I said this could accommodate nearly any ingredient you had on hand? It’s true. The night I made this dish, I added the vegetables we had on hand along with some boneless, skinless chicken. Fresh vegetables WILL take longer to cook. As will raw chicken. You can hurry up the process by using frozen vegetables and precooked vegetables.
2) If you’re using raw chicken, chunk it up into bite sized pieces and cook it through. The smaller the pieces, the quicker it cooks. You can season your chicken to taste. I’m currently having a relationship with Montreal Steak Seasoning. It’s basic, but delicious.
3) While the chicken cooks, chop up any fresh vegetables.
4) When the chicken is finished (of course, this could be a vegetarian meal as well. Just omit the chicken and substitute vegetable broth) remove it from the pan. Swirl in a little bit of olive oil and add vegetables and 1 and 1/3 cup of uncooked risotto. Cook it for a few minutes until risotto has begun to brown and veggies have begun to brown/soften.
4) Stir in four cups of your choice of broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat after it boils and cover, cooking for twenty minutes. As an aside, if you’re using frozen vegetables, you can wait until the last five minutes of cooking time to add them. This dish is actually very good with some of the frozen vegetables in light sauce like Green Giant makes
5) Once the risotto is cooked, stir in your chicken and stir until chicken has warmed up.
Click Image for Printable Copy of the Recipe
6) Serve.
One pan, one bowl, balanced and healthy AND done in about thirty minutes. Isn’t that great?
The Menu Plan
The weather here has been unseasonable. That’s the best way to describe it. After a mild weather, we’re experiencing June temperatures in March. It means, I’m afraid of what June will REALLY be like. Thank goodness for a/c.
Monday Thirty Minute One Skillet Risotto (seen above. Young spring asparagus would be amazing in this dish).
Tuesday Steak on the grill, couscous (another super versatile dish) and corn
Wednesday Grilled hamburgers, potato chips and fire roasted vegetables
Thursday Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Potatoes (NO CABBAGE!)
Friday Date Night. Thanks to Auntie Awesome.
Saturday It’s Family Movie Night! I’ll be sharing our dinner, dessert and crafts next Friday.
Sunday Guinness boiled brats, home made potato salad and veggies. Too good (and too warm) to pass up this favorite).
Big Daddy and me plus our three little chicks. I'm a slightly obsessed, slightly scattered, homemaker crafting and cooking my way through busy days with our trio and grabbing at all of my loose ends. I hope to inspire struggling homemakers to embrace their inner crafty beast, to find some organization and rhythm and to tie all of their loose ends into pretty (though sometimes messy) bows.
