Baked Chicken, Bacon and Pea Risotto

Ingredients

• 1kg chicken thigh fillets, sliced thinly (about 7 thighs)
• 150g streaky bacon, sliced (about 6 rashers)
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• Chopped parsley to garnish — optional garnish, skip
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp olive oil — staple
• 25g butter — staple
• 1 head cos lettuce, washed and torn
• 1 telegraph cucumber, sliced
• 3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 2 carrots, grated
• olive oil + lemon juice or vinegar, to dress — staple

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. In a large ovenproof dish or casserole, sauté the onion in the olive oil for a few minutes, then add the bacon and brown.
3. Add the garlic and sliced chicken thigh, stirring until the chicken has browned all over.
4. Stir in the arborio rice, then pour in the stock slowly while stirring. Cover and transfer to the oven.
5. Bake 35 minutes, stirring once at the halfway mark.
6. Remove from the oven and fold through the butter, parmesan and peas until the butter has melted.
7. Season to taste and garnish with extra parmesan (parsley optional).
8. Side salad: while the risotto bakes, toss the torn cos, cucumber, tomato and grated carrot with oil and lemon juice or vinegar. Serve alongside.

Notes

- Protein-first portioning: meat set to 1kg chicken thigh + 150g bacon per 6 serves to land ~43g protein/serve (house rule). - Thigh is up 67% on the source, but the liquid stays at 3 1/2 cups — the stock is set by the rice, not the meat, and the extra chicken releases moisture as it bakes. Brown it in two batches so it colours. - Chicken breast works but dries out over a 35-minute bake — thigh is the better call here. - Bacon is salty, so season only at the end. - Peas go in straight from frozen; the residual heat thaws them. - Veg sweep: peas alone were light, so the house Side salad (cos, cucumber, tomato, grated carrot, oil + lemon) is now a required component, ~160g veg/serve; calories +50 and protein +1. Onion and garlic lost their staple markers; the parsley purchase is now an optional garnish.