Cajun Smoked Chicken Risotto

A plate of Cajun style risotto with a sliced breast of smoked chicken layered on top.

A labor of love, Cajun Style Smoked Chicken Risotto may have a lot of steps, but the end results are totally worth it. Smoky, rich, creamy, and warming, smoked chicken is used to make a homemade broth with Cajun seasonings to create a smooth and spicy risotto. This is fancy enough to serve to special guests and comforting enough for a weeknight meal.

If you still want all of the same great flavors but need to save time, you can use store-bought smoked chicken and prepared broth. Make sure to simmer the broth with all of the Cajun seasonings before adding it to the risotto. This way you will still get some of the complex layerings of flavors in the final dish.

You can play with the vegetables in this dish, by adding cooked okra, corn, or any of your other favorite Cajun items. Try folding in smoked sausage or cooked shrimp, too. We think you’ll love this spicy and smoky meal.

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Looking down on a white plate with Cajun style smoked chicken risotto with a gray checkered table cloth.
Serve the Cajun style smoked chicken risotto immediately.
Looking across a white plate filled with Cajun style risotto with a sliced smoked chicken breast layered on top, and a green background.
Fold some of the diced chicken breast into the risotto then top with additional sliced chicken.
A plate of Cajun style risotto with a sliced breast of smoked chicken layered on top.
Slice the chicken breast and place it on top of the cooked risotto.

Cajun Smoked Chicken Risotto Recipe

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A plate of Cajun style risotto with a sliced breast of smoked chicken layered on top.
A labor of love, Cajun Smoked Chicken Risotto is a smoky, rich, creamy, and warming dish of spicy risotto topped with smoked chicken breast. 
Preparation 30 minutes
Cook 3 hours
Ready in 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
CourseDinner
DifficultyExperienced
MethodSmoke

Ingredients

Smoked Chicken

  • 5 bone-in chicken breasts
  • BBQ rub chicken or Cajun style

Chicken Broth

  • 5 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • salt to taste

Cajun Style Risotto

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion chopped
  • 2 ribs celery chopped
  • 1 red or green bell pepper seeded and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 2 cups arborio rice
  • 1 cup white wine

Equipment

  • smoker
  • pot

Directions

Smoked Chicken

  • Preheat a smoker to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C) with your favorite hardwood.
  • Rub the chicken breasts with the BBQ rub and smoke until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F (95 degrees C), about 2 hours. 
  • Remove the flesh from the bones and set both aside, it should easily pull away from the bones.

Chicken Broth

  • Combine the chicken bones with the water, paprika, onion powder, oregano, thyme, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes. Strain the stock and season to taste with salt. Keep warm.

Cajun Style Risotto

  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers then cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
  • Add the rice and cook in the oil and vegetable mixture until the edges of the grains start to turn translucent, takes about 2 minutes. 
  • Add the wine to the rice mixture and cook until the wine is almost completely absorbed, stirring continuously for about 2 minutes. Add a ladleful of hot stock (about ½ cup) and stir constantly over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed. Continue to add the stock mixture, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and letting the liquid fully absorb before adding the next ladleful, until the rice is tender yet firm to the bite, 20 to 25 minutes.  
  • Take one of the smoked chicken breasts and dice it into small pieces then stir through the risotto. Taste then add the salt and pepper as needed.

To Serve

  • Divide the risotto among four shallow bowls and top with the remaining sliced chicken breasts. Serve immediately. 

Nutritional Information

Calories: 882kcalCarbohydrates: 86gProtein: 55gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 145mgSodium: 311mgPotassium: 744mgFiber: 4gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 567IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 7mg

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About Saffron Hodgson

Outdoor cooking has been Saffron’s passion since she was young, often choosing to go camping and cook hearty meals over fire rather than stay inside, watch TV, and eat take-out. Today she is the driving force of Bush Cooking bringing the skills of cooking outdoors to thousands of people.

Learn more about Saffron Hodgson
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