Creamy chicken and rice
A simple and easy risotto-style supper, that uses cheaper long grain rice instead of short grain arborio rice. Add the stock all in one go at the beginning for a hands-off simple risotto. Use leftover chicken from a roast and any frozen or cooked vegetables you like.
This recipe is part of a Budget meal plan for four. In September 2023 this recipe was costed at an average of £3.02 when checking prices at four UK supermarkets (priced using pre-cooked chicken – it will be cheaper if the chicken is batch cooked as part of the meail plan). This recipe is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 150–200g/5½oz–7oz cooked skinless leftover chicken, cut into small pieces
- 250g/9oz long grain rice
- 700ml/1¼ pint hot chicken stock, made with 1 stock cube
- 200g/7oz frozen peas
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú cheddar, finely grated
- salt and ground black pepper
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or deep sauté pan over a high heat and fry the onion for 4–5 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned, stirring regularly.
Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 1 minute more, stirring. Add the rice and the stock, stir well then cover the pan with a lid and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the rice is tender and saucy. You will need to stir more often towards the end of the cooking time to prevent the rice sticking. Add a splash of water if needed.
Stir in the peas and half the cheese and cook for 3 minutes more, or until the peas are hot, stirring constantly. Season to taste with a little salt if needed and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Serve the rest of the cheese separately for sprinkling on top.
Recipe Tips
This recipe uses leftover roast chicken from the Easy roast chicken recipe which is also part of the Budget meal plan for four. You can also use raw chicken for this dish, just cut it into small pieces and fry it with the onion in step one. Boneless thigh or breast will work well. If you don’t have chicken leftover from a roast, you can use any cooked chicken – rotisserie style chicken is fine as are small packs of cooked chicken but they can be expensive. Chopped ham or bacon could be used instead if you have some handy.
Sliced mushrooms and vegetable stock can be used instead of chicken for a meat-free meal.
If you have any Parmesan handy, you can use it instead of the cheddar.