Your email address is required to begin the subscription process. We will use it for customer service and other communications from Milk Street. You can unsubscribe from receiving our emails at any time.
Lombardy-Style Rice with Chicken
This humble dish from the Lombardy region of northern Italy is known as riso alla pitocca. With familiar flavors and a creamy consistency from the starchiness of Arborio rice, it’s pure comfort food, Italian style. Riso alla pitocca is in some ways similar to risotto, but is simpler to cook because there’s no need to add liquid in multiple additions, nor for careful or continuous stirring. We do, however, stir the rice vigorously at the end, after the grains are tender, to help create a richer, thicker, more velvety consistency.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t use chicken breasts, which are too lean and easily overcook. Chicken thighs are more flavorful, as well as more resistant to overcooking, so they’re the best choice for this dish.
45 minutes
Ingredients
-
1
pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
-
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions
-
01Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and ½ teaspoon pepper. In a 1-quart liquid measuring cup or medium microwave-safe bowl, heat the broth, covered, until simmering, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside, covered.
I halved this recipe since it was only going to be me eating it and the leftovers. Unfortunately, I have realized I'm not a fan of chicken and rice, in whatever form.
I had to add a couple of tablespoons of water at the end of the 15 minutes because the rice was still a little al dente. The moisture was absorbed in the 5 minutes off-heat and I added the butter and cheese as directed.
This is tasty and flavorful and I was pleasantly surprised. However it will not be a repeat in my kitchen. The chicken thighs seemed to be a little rubbery, and I'm not sure if that was my cooking technique or the quality of the meat.