This restaurant-quality Chicken and Pumpkin Risotto is filled with canned pumpkin puree, juicy roasted chicken, and warm fall seasonings, like sage and nutmeg. Your family and friends are sure to devour it, so be sure to serve it this fall season!
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk together broth and pumpkin in a stockpot. Set over medium-low heat. Keep broth warm while making the risotto.
Place chicken breasts on the lined baking sheet. Pat dry with a paper towel. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the chicken and season with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
Roast chicken, uncovered, in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until their internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Heat a large pot or skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter. Once butter has melted, add the onions. Cook onions for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened, stirring intermittently.
Stir in garlic and sage and cook another 30 seconds.
Add arborio rice. Stir to coat it in the butter and onions. Pour in wine and cook until it’s fully absorbed by the rice.
Working with one ladle of warm broth at a time, add a full ladle of broth to the rice and stir it into the rice until it is fully absorbed. Slowly continue this process until the rice is cooked through and you’ve used all of the broth. This could take about 20 minutes before all of the broth is absorbed.
Turn off the heat. Stir in parmesan cheese, ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
When chicken is done cooking, let cool slightly, then remove small pieces from the bones with a fork and knife. Discard the bones, but reserve the skin for garnish. Stir chicken into the risotto.
For serving, garnish risotto with pepitas, sliced pieces of crispy chicken skin, and parmesan cheese.
Notes
Make sure the broth mixture is warm! Warm broth helps extract the starches in the rice as you add it to the pot.
Be patient and cook the rice low and slow! Let the rice fully absorb each ladle of broth before adding the next, stirring gently over medium-low heat. Continue this process until all the broth is used.