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Home How to make risotto with brown rice | a delicious recipe with lemon chicken and aubergine

How to make risotto with brown rice | a delicious recipe with lemon chicken and aubergine

Recipes

'Convenience is king', as they say — and that's a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. Yes, I love eating healthy and fresh, but I'm also all for quick and easy. In my world, making risotto doesn't exactly fall under 'quick and easy'. I'll be honest: there are dishes that come together faster. But imagine you have someone over for dinner — you simply take the time to cook properly. Good conversation, maybe a glass of wine, and every now and then a ladle of stock and a good stir of the risotto. The result tastes so good that every bit of love and time you put into it is completely worth it.

That's exactly how I feel about this risotto, which was born out of what I happened to have at home (aubergine, fennel, stock and round-grain brown rice). I chopped all the vegetables fairly small, took my time adding the stock ladle by ladle and… wow! It pays off,I can tell you. This recipe is really not difficult at all, and you can make it even easier by buying pre-cut chicken thigh fillets. But hey, what are 5 minutes in the grand scheme of things 😉

For this recipe I used:– Struik stock, in a carton — it's ready-made and contains no nasty additives (no flavour enhancers either, yay). If you don't have it, simply make your own stock from 500 ml water and a stock cube– 3/4 of an aubergine. If you happen to have a courgette, that works perfectly too– Grilled cherry tomatoes as a garnish. This is optional, but it does make it extra delicious. I roasted mine in the oven, but you can of course use a griddle pan instead.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention why I'm not using risotto rice! Well, because I had brown rice at home (the round-grain kind, which is best suited for this recipe) 😉 Did you know you can actually use 'regular' rice to make risotto? I also chose it because brown rice is higher in fibre than regular white risotto rice. And my stomach is just that little bit happier for it =)

Recipe

How to make risotto with brown rice | a delicious recipe with lemon chicken and aubergine

A hearty risotto made with round-grain brown rice, tender lemon chicken, aubergine and fennel. A flavourful dish you prepare step by step on the hob.

Course	Main course
Kitchen	Northern Italy
Servings	2

Preparation time

Preparation time	40 min
Time in oven	8 min
Total	40 min

Equipment

2 frying pans (or a frying pan and a sauté pan)
bowl
large lid
optional: oven at 220°C

Ingredients

300 g chicken thigh fillets
3/4 aubergine
1/2 lemon
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 fennel bulb
150 g round-grain brown rice
450 ml chicken stock (I used Struik, but you can also use 450 ml water and 2 stock cubes)
1 glass of white wine
8 cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt & pepper from the mill

Risotto with brown rice, lemon chicken and aubergine

1. Cut the chicken thigh fillets into small cubes, place in a bowl, squeeze the garlic and lemon over the top and mix together with a drizzle of olive oil, smoked paprika and some salt and pepper. Set aside. Finely dice the shallot, and cut the aubergine and fennel into small cubes.

2. Heat a little oil in a frying pan or sauté pan and gently soften the shallot over medium heat. Add the aubergine, drizzle in a little more oil and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the fennel and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in the dry rice and cook over medium heat until the grains turn translucent, then pour in the glass of wine and stir for 2 minutes.

3. Add the stock a ladleful at a time, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding the next. This takes a little while, so in the meantime you can:– preheat the oven and grill the tomatoes for about 8 minutes, or;– grill the tomatoes in a griddle pan– cook the chicken thigh fillets in the second frying pan. Do this towards the end so the chicken is still hot when you serve the risotto– you can also grate the Parmesan in advance– and set the table 😉

4. Once all the stock has been absorbed, you'll have a lovely, thick risotto. Still a little too thick? Add a splash of water and let it absorb. Do taste as you go! Mine was already quite salty from the stock, so it didn't need any more. Add pepper for a little heat, or even a drop of tabasco. Since you're already using stock, extra salt is probably not needed.

5. When the risotto is done, spoon it onto plates, top with the chicken, then the tomatoes, and finish with a little grated cheese. Enjoy your meal!

Cooking mode Prevents your screen from going to sleep

This brown rice risotto makes a wonderful midweek meal. The brown rice gives it a slightly heartier texture than a classic risotto, but the result is every bit as flavourful. The combination of lemon, smoked paprika and fennel creates a fresh and aromatic flavour.

Serve the risotto straight from the pan onto plates and add the chicken, grilled tomatoes and a little grated cheese just before serving. This keeps everything nicely warm and the dish looking great on the table.

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