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This classic Risotto Recipe is simple yet delicious. Made with chicken broth, white wine, and Parmesan cheese, you can easily stir up a batch, whenever you’re in the mood, in 30 minutes or less.
Some cooks shy away from Risotto because we’ve all heard the stories: “You’ll be slaving over the pot for hours!” “Don’t stop stirring it, or you’ll ruin it!” And so on and so forth.
Risotto does need a little attention, but so do many tasks that are worth doing. The broth has to be stirred in one cup at a time to get that creamy, chewy texture we all love from Arborio rice. The trick is to keep a timer handy and maybe put on some relaxing music.
The good news is, Risotto is ready in about a half hour. Some recipes take longer than 30 minutes to prep, never mind the active time at the stove. This is easy! Most importantly, it tastes so good: warm, comforting, like a hug in a bowl.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Arborio rice: This short-grain rice has a high starch content and cooks up chewier and creamier compared to other rice. It is named for the town of Aborio in the Piedmont region of Italy and is primarily used for making risotto recipes.
- White wine: Choose a dry variety such as Chardonnay. Or, omit the wine and use chicken broth instead.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat butter and olive oil until shimmering. Add onion and parsley and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in rice and cook, stirring frequently, until rice is translucent at the edges, about 3 minutes. Stir in wine until absorbed, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of warmed broth, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in a second cup of broth until absorbed, stirring constantly, about 5 to 7 minutes longer.
- Stir in remaining 1 cup broth until rice is tender and the mixture is creamy, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 4 cups Risotto, enough for 4 (1-cup) side-dish servings, or 2 (2-cup) main-dish servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Four-cheese Risotto: For even more cheesy flavor, add ½ cup Ricotta cheese, ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and ¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola or blue cheese to the risotto with the Parmesan at the end of the recipe.
- Risotto as an entree: If risotto is your main dish, consider serving it with a classic Caesar Salad or Antipasto Salad. Roasted Carrots with Yogurt Sauce would be tasty, too. A perfect meal for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner.
- Risotto as a side: Creamy risotto pairs perfectly with Pan-Seared Scallops, Shrimp Scampi, Chicken Scallopini, Caprese Chicken, and Roast Beef Tenderloin.
Recipe FAQs
For the best risotto, make sure you start with the right rice: A short-grain, high-starch rice works best. And don’t stir it, because that extra starch forms the creamy texture of the finished risotto. Exercise patience, stirring in the broth just one cup at a time until absorbed. And always remember that when it comes to cooking, practice makes perfect.
No, of course not. If you’re avoiding wine for any reason at all, just substitute more chicken broth.
It’s both! Serve a large portion (about 2 cups) if risotto is your entree. If you’re serving it on the side of something else, for example a roast chicken, 1 cup risotto per person is appropriate.
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Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 small onion thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 cup Arborio rice uncooked (see note 1)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (see note 2)
- 3 cups chicken broth warmed
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese or shredded (1 ounce)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat butter and olive oil until shimmering. Add onion and parsley and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in rice and cook, stirring frequently, until rice is translucent at the edges, about 3 minutes. Stir in wine until absorbed, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of warmed broth, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in a second cup of broth until absorbed, stirring constantly, about 5 to 7 minutes longer.
- Stir in remaining 1 cup broth until rice is tender and the mixture is creamy, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper).
Notes
- Arborio rice: This short-grain rice has a high starch content and cooks up chewier and creamier compared to other rice. It is named for the town of Aborio in the Piedmont region of Italy and is primarily used for making risotto recipes.
- White wine: Choose a dry variety such as Chardonnay. Or, omit the wine and use chicken broth instead.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 4 cups Risotto, enough for 4 (1-cup) side-dish servings, or 2 (2-cup) main-dish servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.