In need of a winter warmer that elevates a simple root vegetable and makes use of leftover roast chicken? Then you’re in the right place. With little effort, you can transform the gnarly celeriac into a elegant and hearty dinner dish. With the added bonus of also using up the remainder of your Sunday roast chicken. This celeriac and chicken risotto recipe is a great one-pot weekday dish.
Celeriac: that’s one ugly vegetable
Celeriac is a vegetable which looks like it could be from another planet! Pulled straight from the ground, with it’s many tentacles that have been reaching out into the earth, it it not a pretty sight. But trim the spindly roots away, peel off the thick outer layer, and you reveal the nutty, earthy scents of a brilliantly versatile vegetable.
Celeriac is cousin to the carrot, parsnip and parsley, and is from the celery family – also known as celery root and turnip-rooted celery. It was first recorded being used in France in 1623, however it wasn’t until the end of the 17th century that it started being cultivated more widely in Europe.
Celeriac in cooking
From soups to curries, to salads and risottos – such as this celeriac and chicken risotto. It can carry a wealth of flavours but at the same time have the ability not to lose its own unique buttery sweetness – especially when roasted.
Other celeriac and risotto recipes
If you are looking for further ideas on how to use celeriac, and some other risotto recipes, then check out the following on the blog:
- Creamy roasted cherry tomato risotto
- Celeriac soup with garlic croutons
- Butternut squash and sage risotto
- Celeriac remoulade
- Chicken stock
Tips for growing celeriac
Celeriac is a slow burner, taking at least 6 months from germination in March to harvest from September. But once you have sown indoors in March, and planted out in May/June, this vegetable requires little attention and doesn’t require a lot of space. Not only that, you’ll be able to harvest from September to March the following year. It does, however, require a good amount of water – particularly in dry weather it will need watering twice weekly.
Top varieties include: Giant Prague; Brilliant; and Monarch.
If you are only using half the celeriac, and not doubling up the recipe to 4 persons, then you can always cook the celeriac in the pan and freeze the remaining half. Thawed, this is a great addition to a winter salad, or if you wish to do the risotto another day.
I have used fresh homemade chicken stock but shop bought stock is absolutely fine as well. If you have leftover roast chicken, you have a leftover chicken carcass. And that to me screams Homemade Chicken Stock.
Celeriac and Chicken Risotto
Equipment
- 1 medium hob-proof casserole dish
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 1/2 celeriac peeled and diced into 1cm cubes
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 150 g risotto rice arborio works well
- 600 ml chicken stock ideally freshly made from the roast chicken – see notes
- 250 g leftover roast chicken or you can always cook some chicken breast that has been pre-cooked or roasted in the oven.
- 1/2 lemon zest and juiced
- 100 g baby spinach
- 50 g parmesan finely grated
- 1 tbsp fresh sage finely chopped
Instructions
- Using a medium casserole dish (lid not required) heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over a medium heat. Add the diced celeriac and brown, moving around the dish for around 10 minutes until coloured on all sides and it has just a little resistance when you stick a knife into the centre. Remove to a plate.
- Using the same dish, heat the second tbsp of olive oil and add in the onion, garlic and risotto rice. Stir to gently cook the onion and garlic and to coat the rice in the oil until translucent around the edges. This should take no more than 4-5 minutes.
- Add in around 50ml (1 ladle) of stock, gently stirring regularly until the liquid is more or less absorbed. Then add more stock until you only have 100ml remaining. This should take around 15 minutes.
- Add to the dish the chicken, the zest and juice of the lemon, along with the spinach and half (50g) of the parmesan. Stir this into the rice and add the remaining 100ml stock and season with fresh ground pepper and a little salt (remember the stock will have some salt already and parmesan is a little salty).
- After 5 minutes, the chicken should be thoroughly warmed through and the rice will have absorbed all the fluid. If it is getting too dry, add a small amount of boiling water.
- Serve in wide bowls with a sprinkling of sage and the remaining parmesan on the side.
Notes
- If you are only using half the celeriac, and not doubling up the recipe to 4 persons, then you can always cook the celeriac in the pan and freeze the remaining half. Thawed, this is a great addition to a winter salad, or if you wish to do the risotto another day.
- I have used fresh homemade chicken stock, but shop bought stock is absolutely fine as well.
