Creamy arborio rice slowly stirred with chicken, courgette and peas in a warm broth. No cheese, no butter, no salt — just the pure Italian art of patience making something extraordinary for your dog.
Pour the chicken broth into a small saucepan and heat over low heat until steaming but not boiling. Keep it warm throughout the entire cooking process. This is not optional — cold broth added to risotto drops the temperature and ruins the starch release. Warm broth is what makes risotto work.
Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the diced chicken breast and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until completely white all the way through with no pink remaining. Season with nothing — no salt. The broth will carry all the flavour. Push the chicken to one side of the pan.
Add the arborio rice to the pan alongside the chicken. Stir everything together and cook for 1–2 minutes until the grains look very slightly translucent at the edges and smell faintly nutty. This toasting step is one of the most important in Italian cooking — it closes the surface of the grain so it absorbs broth slowly, creating the famous creamy texture.
Add one ladle of warm broth to the pan and stir constantly until it is fully absorbed — about 2 minutes. Then add another ladle. Repeat this process, one ladle at a time, for 16–18 minutes total. Stir the whole time. This constant motion is what releases the starch from the rice and creates the silky cream without a drop of cream or butter. Don't rush it and don't walk away.
After 14 minutes of adding broth, stir in the diced courgette and frozen peas (thawed). Continue adding any remaining broth and stirring for a further 4–5 minutes. The courgette should become soft but still hold its shape. The peas should be bright green and tender. The rice should be cooked through but still have a very faint bite — this is al dente, and it's right.
Remove from heat. Stir in the chopped parsley. Add ¼ tsp eggshell calcium per serving. The risotto should be quite loose at this point — it will thicken as it cools. Cool completely to room temperature, then stir in salmon or sardine oil. Never add fish oil while the food is hot — heat destroys the omega-3 fatty acids. Serve at a comfortable warm temperature, not straight from the stove.
In Italy, risotto is always served all'onda — "on the wave" — meaning it should flow slightly when you tilt the plate. It should never be stiff or gluey. If your risotto has thickened too much when you come to serve it, stir in a small splash of warm water or broth to loosen it back up. Your dog will appreciate the silky texture.
The Poodle — one of the most intelligent and elegant of all dog breeds — has some very specific nutritional needs that this risotto addresses particularly well:
Approx. per serving (4 servings total)
Risotto is calorie-dense. A Toy Poodle (3–5kg) needs about ½ serving. A Standard Poodle (20–30kg) may need 1.5–2 servings. Use the calorie calculator for exact portions.
All Poodle sizes · Sensitive stomachs · Recovery meals · Picky eaters · Batch cooking · All adult breeds
Stir in ½–1 tsp salmon or sardine oil cold, after the dish has cooled. This adds the DHA and EPA that chicken and olive oil don't provide.
Protein (chicken) · Calcium (eggshell) · Vitamin A, C, K (courgette, parsley, peas) · Iron & Zinc (peas) · Omega-9 (olive oil) · Digestibility (arborio) · Breath (parsley)
➕ Add: Salmon oil (omega-3) · For sole-diet use, add a canine multivitamin for vitamin D and iodine.
Keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days. Risotto thickens considerably when cold — stir in a splash of warm water or broth when reheating and it will loosen up perfectly. Freeze in portions for up to 2 months.
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