Oven Baked Chicken and Broccoli Risotto

I love risotto, and I totally adore oven baked risotto's. Why???



Because essentially I can be a bit lazy sometimes, and these are risotto's that basically cook themselves. There is no standing over the stove, babying them along, adding ladles of stock, one . . . ladle . . . at a . . . time.



You just add all the ingredients to a casserole dish . . . and bake!



Easy peasy, lemon squeasy! Nothing could be simpler.



I have a fantastic recipe for a delicious Baked Risotto with Courgettes, Tomatoes and Parmesan Here. And I have another delicious recipe for a Meatball Risotto Soup Here. Both delicious, both easy, both very popular!



This one is today is very colourful and very tasty. Creamy,rich and just stogged full of tasty bits of chicken and crunchy green bits of broccoli. Of course you don't have to use broccoli if you don't want to . You can choose to use another green vegetable such as asparagus, or green beans or even peas. All are equally as delicious! (Not to mention easy!)

I love easy food, especially when it also happens to be delicious! Don't you?



*Oven Baked Chicken and Tender Stem Broccoli Risotto*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

The best thing about this dish is that it practically cooks itself. You can sit back and enjoy a drink while it is baking. It's also really quick!

2 TBS olive oil
500g (1lb 2 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
250g (9 ounces) arborio rice
750ml (3 cups) chicken stock
1 bunch of tender stem broccoli, trimmed and cut on the diagonal into 1 inch pieces
35g (1/3 cup) grated parmesan Cheese, plus extra to serve
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Heat 1 TBS of the olive oil iin a large flameproof casserole over high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring frequently until golden brown. Remove from the casserole and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil and the onion to the dish. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for about 30 seconds longer. Add the rice and stir to coat evenly with the oil. Add the stock and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Cover the casserole and bake in the heated oven for 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken and the broccoli and recover. Bake for an additional 5 minutes until the broccoli is bright green and just tender. Stir iin the Parmesan cheese, season with salt and black pepper, and serve. Have extra Parmesan ready to spoon over individual servings. Delicious!

Note: If you don't really like broccoli, you can substitute it with an equal amount of asparagus.