Thai Green Chicken Risotto

Anyone who enjoys Thai food and flavours will love this clever twist on the classic Thai green curry. This rich and creamy risotto is cosy & warming with a little spice to make a perfect weekend dinner. Serve with fresh crunchy greens. Yum!!

Serves 4

Effort: Easy

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 35 mins

Gluten free

• 2 tsp coconut oil

• 1 small onion

• 2 inches of fresh ginger, grated - or 1 tbsp mince ginger

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 2 chicken breasts, trimmed and diced

• 2 tbsp Thai green curry paste

• 250g risotto rice

• 1 small red capsicum, diced

• 1 tsp sugar

• 600ml chicken stock

• 400ml coconut milk

• Juice of 1 lime

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

  To serve

• Fresh coriander

• Drizzle of coconut yoghurt

• Sliced red chillies

Instructions

1. Warm the oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion and stir for 2 minutes.

2. Add the ginger and garlic, stir for 2 minutes until fragrant.

3. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until starting to brown. Now spoon in the Thai green curry paste and mix through.

4. Pour in the risotto rice and stir through to coat evenly, about 1 minute. Tip in the capsicum and mix through.

5. Add 1/2 of the chicken stock and stir constantly until all the liquid has been absorbed.

6. Repeat until all the stock has been absorbed by the rice.

7. Reduce the heat to low & pour half the coconut milk into the pan, and stir until all the coconut milk been absorbed. Then repeat with the remaining coconut milk until the rice is the right consistency.

   Tip - Taste the rice, if it’s still a little al dente, add 1/3 cup of water, stirring until it’s been absorbed - do this until the rice is perfect.

8. Squeeze over the lime juice, drizzle over the soy sauce and stir through.

9. Taste and season. Spoon the risotto into bowls, garnish with the plenty of coriander leaves, sliced chillies and a good drizzle of coconut yoghurt, and serve immediately.

Hints & tips

Chicken - Chicken breast is used in this recipe. Feel free to swap to chicken thighs if that’s what you have on hand OR even use leftover cooked shredded chicken. If using cooked shredded chicken skip the first part of step 3 and add it in at the end of step 7.

Rice - A few tips to get the perfect risotto.

1. Don’t rinse your rice before cooking, you want to keep the starch in there to help create a smooth finish.

2. Don’t rush your cooking time. Cooking on a low to medium temperature allows the rice to absorb all the flavours.

3. Adding the stock / coconut milk gradually also allows the rice to absorb all the flavours and give it a smooth texture.

Easy swaps - The capsicum could be swapped out for mushrooms or baby corn or even diced up pumpkin.

Coconut cream - This is readily available in most shops. This is the brand we love - cocobella. However, feel free to use natural yoghurt or whatever you have on hand.

Serving suggestion - Serve with either Asian greens, Broccolini or green beans.

Portion size - Serves 4 or 2 with leftovers.

Storage - Store in the fridge for 3 days. Suitable for freezing. When reheating make sure your rice is piping hot before eating.