Chicken Risotto with Spring Vegetables

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups arborio rice uncooked (short-grain)
• 0.5 pound asparagus spears fresh
• 3 tablespoons butter divided
• 0.8 pound skinned and boned chicken breasts cut into 1-inch strips
• 4 cups chicken broth 
• 1 cup cooking wine dry white
• 0.5 cup fontina freshly grated
• 0.3 cup parsley fresh chopped
• 0.5 teaspoon herbs de provence 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
• 8 servings garnish: parmesan cheese 
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper 
• 1.3 teaspoons salt divided
• 2 medium zucchini thinly sliced into half moons

Equipment

• sauce pan
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Bring chicken broth and 4 cups water to a simmer in a large saucepan over low heat. Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus.
2. Cut into 2-inch pieces.
3. Sprinkle chicken with herbes de Provence and 3/4 tsp. salt.
4. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter with 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add chicken, and saut 5 to 6 minutes or until done.
5. Remove chicken; cover and keep warm.
6. Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in Dutch oven; add zucchini, onion, and asparagus, and saut 3 minutes or until tender.
7. Remove vegetables; cover and keep warm.
8. Saut rice in remaining 1 Tbsp. hot oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium.
9. Add wine and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring often, until liquid is absorbed.
10. Add 1 cup hot broth mixture; cook, stirring often, until liquid is absorbed. Repeat procedure with remaining broth mixture, 1 cup at a time. (Total cooking time is about 30 minutes.)
11. Stir in grated cheeses, chicken, and vegetables until creamy. Stir in parsley and pepper.
12. Serve immediately.