Savor the cozy flavors of autumn with this hearty Chicken and Pumpkin Risotto! This elegant and comforting risotto is full of rich, savory flavor and is made into a full meal with the addition of chicken. Don't let risotto intimidate you - this recipe will be on the table in under an hour!
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Just like our honey sriracha shrimp, this salmon bruschetta, and our chicken pesto pasta salad, this recipe is a paid partnership with our friends at Roland Foods, a leading global importer of premium ingredients. Thanks for supporting brands that allow us to bring fresh new content to A Full Living!
If you're looking for a showstopping fall dinner, we promise this meal is it! Made with Roland® Superfino Arborio Rice, available on Amazon, that yields an incredibly creamy, rich risotto texture!
Risotto is impressive to serve with amazing depth of flavor, but we promise with our step-by-step instructions and helpful tips you'll nail this dish with minimal effort!
Looking for more fall recipes? Be sure to try our pumpkin pasta sauce, this chicken and butternut squash skillet with creamy parmesan sauce, this creamy butternut squash gnocchi with Italian sausage, or this sheet pan maple glazed chicken and vegetables!
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❤️Why We Love This Recipe
- Cozy fall flavors. This dish is deeply savory and starts with a base of lots of garlic, onion, and herbs like thyme and sage that pair perfectly with pumpkin. There are notes of allspice and nutmeg in there as well to give it the essence of autumn!
- Great for a special occasion OR meal prep! This dish is impressive enough to make for a special occasion, but hearty and approachable enough to enjoy anytime! The leftovers save quite well if you just want to meal-prep it for yourself and reheat it throughout the week!
- Made with simple ingredients. While this dish feels fancy, it's made with approachable, everyday ingredients and produces an incredibly delicious result!
🎃Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Chicken breasts. Use chicken breast cutlets or breasts that have been cut in half lengthwise to help them cook up quickly and more evenly.
- Oil. Avocado oil or olive oil works perfectly. We want something that we can cook at a higher temperature than butter to sear the chicken.
- White wine. Technically optional, but will add a depth of flavor to the sauce. Choose something dry! Anything from Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or even Chardonnay will work well.
- Roland Foods Arborio Rice. This short-grain Italian rice has a high starch content that makes it ideal for risotto. Do not rinse the rice! We want the starch to help us create a creamy, dreamy risotto by activating the starches!
- Chicken stock. This is a key component of the flavor of the risotto.
- Pumpkin puree. Make sure to use pure pumpkin puree instead of pumpkin pie filling that has added sugar and spices.
- Parmesan cheese. Make sure to grate the cheese yourself so it melts easily.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions & Variations
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- No wine. You can simply use more chicken stock in place of wine if you prefer.
- Swap the chicken stock. You can use vegetable broth instead if you'd like, or even water, although the flavor won't be nearly as good if you use just water!
- Less or more spicy. We like a little hint of spice in our dishes, but you can certainly omit the red pepper flakes if you'd prefer, or, add more if you like things a little hot! We think this dish is seasoned right in the middle.
- More herbs. Add extra herbs like fresh rosemary for an even more delicious, herbaceous flavor.
- Add chunks of freshly roasted pumpkin for even more pumpkin flavor, texture, and color!
- Add more veggies. Vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, or even kale would taste fantastic in this recipe!
This recipe hasn't been tested with any other substitutions or variations, so we can't guarantee any results. If you make a change, let us know how it goes in the comments below!
🔪Prep Work
- Mince garlic.
- Dice the onion.
- Chop sage.
- Grate parmesan cheese.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Bring a pot of chicken stock to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cover to keep warm right next to where you will be making your risotto.
- Measure out seasonings and the remaining ingredients.
📋Instructions
Cook the chicken
In a large bowl, toss the chicken in the seasonings and a bit of oil until well coated. (Image 1)
Add oil to a hot skillet, and cook the chicken in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan. This will take about 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the chicken, or until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F with an instant-read thermometer. (Image 2)
*Pro tip: Let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before cutting it up. This helps the juices re-distribute throughout the chicken, keeping it juicy!
Cook the aromatics
In the same pan that you cooked the chicken in, add the remaining oil, half of the butter, onions, and season with salt.
Cook until onions are shimmery, then add in garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, and sage. (Image 3) Cook until the garlic is fragrant.
⭑Pro tip: Stir often to prevent the garlic or herbs from burning.
Toast the rice
Add in the rice to toast briefly for about 1 minute, (Image 4) stirring often, then, immediately deglaze the pan with the white wine.
Allow the wine to bubble and simmer for 2-3 minutes to absorb.
Begin adding in hot chicken stock about ½ cup to 1 cup at a time, stirring often until all of the liquid is absorbed. (Images 5 & 6)
⭑Pro tip: Stir gently and often to make the risotto creamy, and don't add more stock until the first batch is absorbed.
Continue this process of adding stock a little at a time, stirring to absorb the liquid, and watching it become more and more creamy. (Images 7, 8 & 9)
Continue cooking and stirring until the rice is tender, but still al dente, so with a very slight bite to it. (Image 10)
The entire process should only take between 16-20 minutes! If you're cooking the rice longer than that, it is probably going to be overcooked.
*Pro tip: The risotto will appear quite loose still, but it will thicken as it cools!
Finish the risotto
Once the rice is tender, remove it from the heat, and add in pumpkin puree, nutmeg, black pepper, parmesan, and the remaining butter. Stir to combine, and adjust seasonings to taste.
⭑Pro tip: The risotto will begin to thicken considerably once the rest of the ingredients are added.
Top with the cooked chicken, and more parmesan. We like to add a little fried sage, and pepitas sometimes as well. These air fryer pumpkin seeds would also be a great garnish!
✨Top Tips
- Use a short-grain rice like Arborio. Arborio and Carnaroli rice have high starch content, which is key to making a creamy dish. A long-grain rice won't be as creamy.
- Add chicken stock gradually. To achieve that classic creamy risotto texture, add in chicken stock gradually and allow the rice to absorb it fully. This way, you can avoid too wet of a texture.
- Don't over-stir, but stir often. Stirring too rough or often can lead to the rice breaking down and becoming mushy. Stir gently, and regularly to maintain an al dente texture for the dish.
- Don't rinse the rice. Rinsing the rice will remove the starch, which is the most essential part of achieving the creamy quality of risotto!
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❄️Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Do not freeze. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Chicken and Pumpkin Risotto
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 pounds chicken breasts
- 1-2 tablespoons oil divided (as needed)
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2.5 teaspoons thyme
- 1.5 teaspoons dried sage
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1.5 teaspoons onion powder
- 1.5 teaspoons mustard powder optional
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon allspice optional
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Risotto
- 4-5 cups chicken stock as needed
- 1-2 tablespoons oil as needed
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- 12-14 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional & to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1.5 cups Arborio Rice
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1.5 cups pumpkin puree about 1 can
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 4-6 ounces parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
Chicken
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, Drizzle the chicken with some of the oil, reserving some for cooking. Season with kosher salt, thyme, sage, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, smoked paprika, allspice, and red pepper flakes.2 pounds chicken breasts, 1-2 tablespoons oil, 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt, 2.5 teaspoons thyme, 1.5 teaspoons dried sage, 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder, 1.5 teaspoons onion powder, 1.5 teaspoons mustard powder, ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon allspice, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Add the chicken to the hot pan with oil, cooking in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan, and cooking until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F with an instant read thermometer. Set the chicken aside to rest before cutting into it.
Pumpkin risotto
- In a stockpot separate from the skillet, bring the chicken stock to a boil, then immediately reduce to a gentle simmer and cover to keep warm. You want to keep the stock warm to add to the rice later on.4-5 cups chicken stock
- In the same pan you cooked the chicken in, add oil, half of the butter (2 tablespoons) and the onions with a pinch of salt. Cook until onions are shimmery, about 3-5 minutes, then add garlic, red pepper flakes, fresh sage and thyme, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.1-2 tablespoons oil, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 large onion, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 12-14 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons fresh sage, 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- Pour in the Arborio rice to toast, then add the wine and stir to absorb. Begin adding in hot chicken stock about ½ - 1 cup at a time, stirring often until all of the liquid is absorbed. The rice should have a slight bite, but will be nice and creamy (it will be slightly al dente!) In total, this should only take 16-20 minutes! If it takes longer than this, the rice is probably overcooked.1.5 cups Arborio Rice, 1 cup dry white wine
- Once the rice is tender, remove from the heat, add in pumpkin puree, nutmeg, black pepper, parmesan, and the remaining butter. Stir to combine.½ teaspoon nutmeg, 4-6 ounces parmesan cheese, 1.5 cups pumpkin puree, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Taste and adjust seasonings. To serve, top with the cooked chicken and more parmesan. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Do not freeze. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Video
Notes
- Use a short-grain rice like Arborio. Arborio and Carnaroli rice have high starch content, which is key to making a creamy dish. A long-grain rice won't be as creamy.
- Add chicken stock gradually. To achieve that classic creamy risotto texture, add in chicken stock gradually and allow the rice to absorb it fully. This way, you can avoid too wet of a texture.
- Don't over-stir, but stir often. Stirring too rough or often can lead to the rice breaking down and becoming mushy. Stir gently, and regularly to maintain an al dente texture for the dish.
- Don't rinse the rice. Rinsing the rice will remove the starch, which is the most essential part of achieving the creamy quality of risotto!
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