Millet Chicken Risotto Recipe and Why to Soak Millet
I used an ancient super grain to make Millet Chicken Risotto. It’s delicious, packed with flavor and nutrients.
updated from 2012
MILLET CHICKEN RISOTTO
I used chicken to make my millet risotto, but you can easily use other meat or skip the meat and make it all vegetable risotto. I love the idea of using mushrooms instead of the chicken, too.
WHAT IS MILLET?
Millet, though many times referred to as grain, is actually seed. You’ve probably seen it in the bird’s food. It is pretty tiny and can be yellow, white, gray, or even red. And it is not only for birds. 🙂
It’s has a mildly nutty flavor and I remember it from my childhood. We used to eat millet as kids. My grandmother made a special potato noodle dish with caramelized onion and cooked millet. Delicious. I long for it and will have to make it sometime soon.
There are several varieties of millet, the most post common is proso millet.
WHY TO SOAK MILLET GRAIN
Soaking the grain is a natural way of predigesting them, making the grain easier to digest and nutrients more available.
- It is important to soak the millet prior cooking. Soaking it neutralizes phytic acid that binds up minerals, inhibiting their absorption. Phytic acid, if not neutralized has the ability to further “steal” nutrients from other foods you eat, by binding to minerals and vitamins in the digestive tract and preventing their absorption.
- Soaking the millet makes the vitamins’ and minerals’ absorption easier.
- It also makes digesting millets seeds much easier on your tummy.
- Millet is super grain, packed with minerals and nutrients like magnesium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, B-vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, phosphorus. And it’s also gluten-free.
HOW TO SOAK MILLET GRAIN
- Soak grain at room temperature.
- Rinse 1 cup of dry grain well. Pour into a pot, add 2 tablespoons of acidic agent, stir in 3-4 cups warm water.
- As for the acidic medium, I use yogurt. You can also use buttermilk or kefir. You can substitute with lemon or vinegar, but they may leave a strong after taste after soaking. Yogurt and other cultured products also offer a benefit of a healthy bacteria, lactobacillus.
- Let the grain soak for minimum of 6-8 hours.
- Then rinse with water and cook as directed.
- Acid is used to prevent spoilage, and harmful bacteria from forming.
MORE RECIPES
- Honey Glazed Roasted Carrots
- Stuffed Peppers with Ground Pork and Rice
- Seriously Good Quinoa Salad via Inspired Taste
- Tomato Soup (great fo canning)
Millet Chicken Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 cup millet seeds (soaked for 6-8 hours)
- 3 cups chicken broth (reserved from cooking chicken drumsticks)
- 4 chicken drumsticks – cooked in 5 cups of water seasoned with 2 tsp salt and 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns.
- 1/4 cup white wine or cooking wine
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium size carrot, sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tbsp chives, chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 apple, peeled, quartered and sliced
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Cook 4 drumsticks in 5 cups of water seasoned with 2 teaspoons of salt and a few black peppercorns. Once cooked, reserve the broth. Pull the meat from the bone. Chop roughly and set aside.
- In a pot heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sautee medium, chopped onion, until it turns golden.
- Into the pot with caramelized onion, add 1 cup soaked millet, 1/2 tsp salt, and sliced medium-sized carrot. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring.
- Add 1/4 cup wine, and keep stirring occasionally, until all the wine is absorbed.
- Add 3 cups of reserved chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Cover and turn the heat down to simmer.
- Cook for 20-25 minutes. Stirring every 5 minutes. Until soft.
- Once cooked, add 1 cup of peas, chicken meat, 1 sliced apple. Cook until peas are tender and cooked through.
- Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter.
- Stir in 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese. Lastly stir in 1 tablespoon of parsley, and 1 tablespoon of chives. Serve.
This recipe was published on September 24, 2012. On February 28, 2024 I updated this recipe post with photos, written text and a recipe card.
