ITS ALL ABOUT THE THYME

Image from http://www.chrissfruitmarket.com

I swear that a few sprigs of thyme makes any chicken dish taste extraordinary. I recently discovered this herb and have substituted it for other herbs in many recipes. The recipe below is extremely simple to make and would, in my humble opinion, taste a tad bland without the addition of my new favourite herb (that’s right sage, you have been de-throned). It is also the lightest risotto I have ever made or had the pleasure of eating. 

BAKED CHICKEN & LEEK RISOTTO WITH THYME 

 Ingredients 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 leek, white part only, quartered and chopped
• 2 chicken breast fillets, cut into 2cm pieces
• 440g doongara rice 
• 1.25 litres (5 cups) chicken stock
• 35g grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve 
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs to garnish if you wish. 
• the recipe only called for 2 tablespoons, but I couldn't help myself by adding more. 
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine 

Cooking 

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees celsius and place a deep overproof dish in the oven to warm. (I use a large roasting pan that works very well).

2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until leek is soft. 

3. Add chicken and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until the meat colours. Add rice and stir until it is well coated. 

4. Add wine and stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Pour the mixture into the warm dish and cover (as my roasting dish does not have a top, I just use aluminium foil as a make-shift lid). Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, stirring once around the 15 minute mark. Remove from the oven and stir in the parmesan and the thyme leaves. Season with sea salt & freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with extra sprigs of thyme and more parmesan if you desire. 

Recipe adapted from 'Homestyle Low-fat' cookbook. 

x E