Clean Eating Brown Rice Risotto with Chicken and Asparagus

Makes about 6 servings, 1 cup each
Risotto sounds so gourmet. It makes you think of warm, creamy deliciousness. It’s also usually loaded with fat and really bad for you. I have always wanted to make risotto but never have because it seemed like so much work. But we’re still living in the hotel so I’m being pushed out of my comfort zone to try new stove-top things. This is one I’m so glad I tried!! I got the idea in part from my friend, Naomi (hi Naomi!), and from Anna’s comment on the call for help post (hi Anna!). And guess what... it was NOT a lot of work! In fact it was ridiculously quick and easy. It did take a while to cook but all I had to do for most of the time was just stir it occasionally. Plus my whole family loved it. 

This is for sure going on our make-frequently list. It was a warm bowl of creamy comfort-food goodness but still super good for you. Also it’s a whole grain, lean protein, and super green veggie all in one bowl. You know how much I love that :) If I was not living in a hotel when I made this I probably would have added a little bit of garlic in with the onions. Also I know adding poultry seasoning is kind of random but I had some left over from when I made the Cornish game hens in the crockpot. It worked but you could definitely substitute your own favorite herbs if you don’t have poultry seasoning. (Speaking of random, how weird is it that the minimart DID have poultry seasoning?!) 

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil, divided 
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast trimmed of all visible fat and cut into bite sized pieces 
• ½ onion, diced 
• 1 cup brown rice 
• 2 cups chicken broth 
• ¼ cup 1% milk 
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, cut into ½ inch pieces 
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning 
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

ONE: In a large saucepan, heat ½ Tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat and brown the chicken. Once it’s cooked through, remove it from the heat and set aside.

TWO: In the same pan (especially if you are living in a hotel and therefor having to hand wash everything!) sauté the onions in the remaining ½ Tbsp of olive oil making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. Once the onions are slightly tender and almost translucent, add the rice and toss to coat.

THREE: Pour in the chicken broth slowly while stirring. (Usually when you are cooking brown rice or other grains you don’t want to stir at all because it breaks down the outer sheath and makes them gummy but for risotto this is a good thing.)

FOUR: Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until rice is tender. (I stirred about every 10 minutes.)

FIVE: Stir in the asparagus, cooked chicken, poultry seasoning, and ¼ cup milk and continue to cook for 10 minutes.

SIX: Remove from heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese, and let it sit covered for a few minutes.

Freeze leftovers in 1 cup portions using the medium/large portions method to feed your freezer stash.

NUTRITION INFO:
Per 1-cup serving – 297 Calories (65 Calories from Fat), 7g Fat, 2g Saturated Fat, 68mg Cholesterol, 277mg Sodium, 27.6g Total Carbohydrates, 2g Dietary Fiber, 2g Sugars, 29g Protein, 8% DV Vit A, 5% DV Vit C, 10% DV Calcium, 14% DV Iron

:)