Lemon Chicken with Creamy Mushroom Risotto

Originally published January 29, 2009
I picked up the know-how on the lemon chicken from the famous New York eatery, Rao's Restaurant. They published a cookbook quite a few year's back and this recipe stood out to me. I thought its tartness would go very well mushroom risotto. Boy, was I correct. My mushroom risotto is very rich and needed an uplift from the lemon pan juices. When you serve this dish make sure to lay down a bed of risotto and lay a piece of chicken on top. Spoon a couple of spoons full of the pan drippings on top of the chicken so that it runs down to the risotto--the result: gastronomical heaven.
This is my "go to" recipe when we entertain 8-12 people in our home. Guests absolutely love it. The secret is that you can prepare this meal in little time. The chicken is super simple and can cook while you are working on the risotto.
Here is the recipe and instructions.

Italian Lemon Chicken

(Inspired by Rao’s Restaurant in NYC)

1-2 chickens cut into pieces (bone in and skin on--don't skimp on the skin)5 Garlic Cloves

Juice of 2-3 Lemons

1 T. Red Wine Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

¾ Cup Oil

Do not season the chicken. All flavor is imparted by the vinaigrette. Making the vinaigrette is easy. Simply place the above ingredients (excluding the chicken) in a blender and blend well. I use an immersion (stick) blender for this. Taste and make sure your marinade is tart, but not overwhelmingly tart.

Arrange unseasoned chicken pieces in a roasting pan or lasagna dish. Place under a 500 degree broiler on the middle rack. Cook for 10 minutes and flip. Cook 10 minutes longer and remove the chicken from the oven. Apply the vinaigrette liberally-coating to each piece of chicken. Any leftover vinaigrette may be poured into the roasting pan. Place back under the broiler for 3 minutes and it will be ready.

Tomatoes & Squash Medley

2 Small Squash

2 Small Zucchinis

1 Clove Garlic Minced

1 flat of Cherry Tomatoes (Halved)

2 t. Italian Herb Seasoning

2 T. Olive Oil

Slice the squash and zucchini on the bias (diagonally slice). Add oil to hot pan and add the squashes, tomatoes and seasoning. Sauté until the squashes are tender.

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

2-3 Cups of Risotto or Short-Grain Rice

1 Flat of Mushrooms Sliced

¼ Medium Onion Finely Diced

¼ C. White Wine

8-10 Cups of Chicken Broth or Stock

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Heavy Cream (Optional)

Of the three dishes here, this risotto is the more challenging of the three, but don’t worry—it is easy, too.

Pour 2 T. olive oil into a medium sauce pot and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid. Add the rice and stir to coat. Deglaze with the white wine and allow the wine to absorb while stirring. Add chicken broth one cup at a time and stir until broth has been absorbed. Risotto gets its creaminess from the rice grains rubbing together as they release their starch. Keep adding stock until the rice is a dente, but tender. Your rice grains should not be crunchy--just firm. If they are crunchy add more stock and cook longer. Grate in Parmesan cheese. If the risotto is too tight and clumpy you may add more stock to loosen it. When you serve risotto it should relax when it hits the plate, not be in a clump. You may also add cream at this point, but adding cream is cheating! Most restaurants do add cream because they do not have the time to stir the risotto.