Balsamic Chicken Risotto

Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKEN

• 4 tablespoons (2 TI oz/ 60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, garlic.
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon good-quality balsamic vinegar of Modena
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
• 1 chicken, about 2½ lb (1.25 Kg)
• salt and treshly ground pepper

FOR THE RISOTTO:

• 9 cups (56-64 fl oz/1.75-2 1) chicken stock
• ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) extra-virgin olive Oll
• ½ cup (2½ oz/75 g) finely chopped yellow onion
• 3 cups (21 oz/655 g) Arborio or carnaroll rice
• ½ cup (4 fl oz/ 125 ml) good-quality balsamic vinegar of Modena
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

note, you can use a store bought rotisserie chicken, mix the vinegar, oil, salt, and parsley together and pour it over the cut up chicken. Put the garlic directly into the risotto.

To prepare the chicken, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Pour 3 tablespoons of the oil into a roasting pan. Mince 4 cloves of the garlic. In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and the parsley.

Beginning at the neck, loosen the skin from the chicken breast with your fingers. Spread the garlic mixture over the breast unde the skin. Place the whole garlic cloves in the cavity. Rub the skir with oil, season with salt and pepper, and place the bird on its sidt in the pan. Roast, turning from side to side every 15 minutes and occasionally basting with the pan juices, until the juices run clea when a thigh is pierced, 45-60 minutes. Turn breast side up for th last 15 minutes to brown. Iranster to a plate, reserving the par juices, and let cool to the touch. Remove the meat from the bone and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, start the risotto. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the stock to a gentle simmer and maintain over low heat. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and stir until each grain is well coated with oil and translucent with a white dot in the center, about 3 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir until it is completely absorbed. Add the simmering stock a ladleful at a time, stirring frequently after each addition. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed (but the rice is never dry on top) before adding the next ladleful. Reserve ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) stock to add at the end.

When the rice is tender to the bite but slightly firm in the center and looks creamy, after about 20 minutes, stir in the roasted chicken. Cook to heat through, about _ minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and reserved ¼ cup stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve at once.