Lemon Cream Chicken with Champagne Risotto and Asparagus

So my dad was out of town this past week. This meant that we could cook vegetables and not worry about him picking at them or not wanting to eat what we cooked. Mom was so excited that she was getting to eat 'exotic' food (that's what my dad calls it). =) This was the last recipe we cooked before my mom left town for Kids Camp. So this and the next 3 recipes are not Dad-friendly. (If you haven't figured it out, my dad is a meat, potatoes and bread kinda guy. He and my brother will not eat anything colorful...at all.)

I found this recipe in one of the first Rachael Ray magazines that I ever got with my subscription. We had some champagne left over from a friend's wedding and I wanted to use it up. I highly recommend using any type of alcohol that you wouldn't mind drinking in a glass. If you don't have champagne or don't want something alcoholic in your risotto, typical champagne substitutes are ginger ale, sparkling apple cider, and sparkling white grape juice. I think that a white cooking wine would be just fine as well. Oh! By the way, it says to use "1 split" of the champagne. I found out that this means one champagne glass worth of liquid, 187 mL, or 3/4 cup. Your welcome. =)

This recipe was intended to be a dinner for 2 on New Year's Eve. So the recipe only yields 2 servings. I did double this recipe and it wasn't that bad. This recipe is really simple but many burners are required. It's also a lot to do at one time. Read through the whole recipe and see how you need to time it or split the steps up.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup arborio rice
• Salt and pepper
• 1 split champagne or sparkling wine
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• One 3-inch piece peel and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/8 pound sliced pancetta, chopped
• 1 small bunch asparagus, cut on an angle into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 3 to 4 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. 
   
   In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken broth over low heat. In a
   medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over
   medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook
   until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the rice and toss to coat; season
   with salt and pepper. Stir in the champagne and boil to evaporate
   slightly, about 2 minutes.
2. 
   
   Stir a couple of ladlefuls of warm chicken broth into the rice and
   cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates. Add more
   broth, a few ladlefuls at a time, reserving 1/2 cup. Cook until
   creamy, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes.
3. 
   
   While the risotto cooks, in a small saucepan, cook the cream,
   lemon peel and cayenne over medium-low heat until slightly
   reduced, about 15 minutes.
4. 
   
   Meanwhile, season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a
   nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over
   medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 6 minutes
   on each side. Transfer to a cutting board (reserving the skillet); add
   the reserved 1/2 cup chicken broth to the pan juices in the skillet a
   nd stir. Stir this liquid into the risotto as it cooks.
5. 
   
   In the nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO,
   1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and
   cook for about 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and shallot and cook,
   stirring, for 3 more minutes.
6. 
   
   To serve, stir the cheese and thyme into the risotto and spoon
   generous portions onto plates. Slice the chicken breasts on an
   angle and fan out over the risotto. Discard the lemon peel from the
   reduced cream; spoon over the chicken. Pour the lemon juice over
   the asparagus and toss; spoon around the risotto.