Baked Chicken and Caramelised Cherry Tomato Risotto

#dinner #chicken
Ingredients
- MAIN INGREDIENTS
- Olive Oil
- 6 cloves Garlic
- 2 small Brown Onion
- 500g Chicken Breast
- 2 Lemon
- 1.5 cups Arborio Rice
- 4 cups Water
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 cubes Chicken Stock
- FINISHING INGREDIENTS
- 1 bunch basil
- 40g Butter
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- 180g Baby Spinach
- ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES
- 1 punnet Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 4 tsp Brown Sugar
- 4 tsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°c fan-forced. Finely chop the garlic, thinly slice the brown onion, and cut the chicken thigh into 2cm chunks. Zest the lemon to get a pinch, then cut it into wedges.
- In a large frying pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over high heat. Add the brown onion and chicken, cooking for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is golden. Add the garlic, lemon zest, and arborio rice, stirring for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the water, salt, and crumbled chicken stock, bring to a boil, and cook while stirring for 2 minutes.
- Transfer the risotto into a medium baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 24-28 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is 'al dente'. Halfway through cooking, stir through a splash of water.
- While the risotto is baking, place the cherry tomatoes on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and olive oil, tossing to coat. Roast for 18-20 minutes until tender and caramelised.
- While the cherry tomatoes are roasting, pick and tear the basil leaves. Remove the baking dish from the oven and stir through the butter and grated Parmesan cheese until melted. Add the baby spinach leaves, stirring until just wilted. Add the roasted cherry tomatoes and a squeeze of lemon juice, stirring to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Divide the baked chicken and caramelised cherry tomato risotto between bowls. Top with basil and serve with any extra lemon wedges.