Chicken risotto with butternut squash

Chicken risotto with butternut squash
 
Author:
Makes: 4 portions
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
Ingredients
Risotto
  • 2 small butternut squash
  • 2 chicken breast
  • 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 250 gr Arborio rice
  • 100 ml dry white wine
  • 700 ml vegetable stock
  • 2 tbspn sage
  • 25 gr butter
  • 4 tbspn parmesan cheese
Spinach salad
  • 50 gr pecan nuts
  • 1 tspn sea salt
  • 2 tspn white wine vinegar
  • 6 tbspn olive oil
  • 1 tspn mustard
  • 1 tspn honey
  • 80 gr rocket and spinach
  • 50 gr Parmesan cheese
  • 50 gr raisins or sultana’s
Instructions
Chicken risotto
  1. Cut the butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds and cut the flesh in a criss-cross pattern. Sprinkle with some oil, salt and pepper and roast in the oven at 180°C for 45 min or until just cooked.
  2. Leave them to cool for a minute, than scoop out the flesh leaving a border behind so that the squash halves can be filled later.
  3. For the risotto base, finely dice the chicken, onion, garlic and red bell pepper. Heat some butter or oil in a hot pan and add the chicken, onion, garlic and green bell pepper. Fry over a gentle heat for a couple of minutes until softened.
  4. Stir in the rice and stir fry for a minute in the oil. Pour in the wine and dried sage and simmer, stirring, until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed.
  5. Heat the vegetable bouillon to a simmer. Add a ladleful of the hot stock and simmer, stirring again, until the liquid has been absorbed.
  6. Continue adding the stock in this way, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, which should take about 15 to 20 min.
Spinach salad
  1. Chop the pecan nuts and toast in a dry pan until fragrant. Season with the sea salt and set aside for later. Whisk the white wine vinegar, mustard, honey and olive oil to a dressing and season to taste.
  2. Mix the rocket, spinach, raisins and pecan nuts with the dressing and the grated parmesan cheese.
Final assembly
  1. Reheat the butternut squash halves in the oven if needed.
  2. When the risotto is cooked, check the seasoning and melt the butter in the risotto to make it shine.
  3. Ladle the cooked risotto in the butternut squash halves and serve with the spinach salad. Garnish with some parmesan cheese and a balsamic reduction, if desired.
Stuff to know
Do not overcook the risotto nor let it catch.
Use special risotto rice like Arborio for this dish.
Optionally, deep fry some fresh sage leaves in some very hot oil until crisp, drain on kitchen paper and use a garnish.
It is possible to eat the skin of the squash if desired. Alternatively, scoop out most of the flesh to only leave a thin border behind, in which case the skin can be discarded after the meal.

 

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