This was originally going be a more paella based dish – but on examining my food cupboard and fridge I realised that I had no paella rice, prawns or saffron! I did however have all the ingredients below, whilst I’m not sure whether my method is the official way to cook risotto, it worked well enough here and with the added benefit of enjoying a nice cold glass of wine while you cook and stir your risotto!
This is enough for around 4 people depending how greedy you’re feeling!
- Glass of white wine
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
- Basil
- Parmesan Cheese
- Butter
- 4 x Chicken Breast
- Bunch of Spring onions
- Half a large Chorizo
- 2 x Fennel Bulbs
- 1 x Red Pepper
- 12 x Cherry Tomatoes
- 200g Risotto Rice
- 1 Litre of Good Quality Chicken Stock ( I use the Knorr chicken stock pots)
- Salt and Pepper
- Garlic Infused Olive Oil
Start by slicing your chorizo into chunks and placing in a small bowl, slice the fennel and red pepper so the chunks are a similar size and thinly slice the greens of the spring onions.
Heat your non-stick fry pan until hot – on medium and fry your chorizo until the oil comes out (you don’t want to brown it too much) remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon and place back into the small bowl. Add a small amount (around a teaspoon) of the garlic infused olive oil and add your pepper and pepper to the pan and turn down to low-medium heat and fry for around 8-10 minutes until softened.
Whilst the vegetables are frying chop your chicken breasts into bite sized chunks and halve your cherry tomatoes. When the vegetables are softened add the lemon zest and spring onion and fry for a couple of minutes. Add your sliced chicken breast and fry until browned (you may need to turn up the heat slightly).
When the chicken is browned add your cherry tomatoes and fry for a couple of minutes, then add your risotto rice. Stir the pan continuously until the rice turns translucent. At this point add your glass of white wine, turn up the heat slightly if needed so the wine bubbles. Stir until the wine is completely absorbed.
Then add in your chorizo, turn down your heat slightly and pour in an eighth of your chicken stock, stir until its all absorbed, add the next eighth and so on until the litre of stock has been completely absorbed and the rice is cooked through and not chalky – the rice should be thick and glossy. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper and the lemon juice. Take off the heat and stir in 2 x handfuls of parmesan cheese and the chopped basil – and you’re good to go!
palmernoms 