Asian Ginger Lemon Chicken Risotto

So in my household, my dad's signature dishes include this amazing lemon risotto. I've had it countless times and it never gets old. But after I started getting into food properly, I decided to experiment a bit and twist the original recipe ( Like I do with everything else ), and then, of course, pop it on here.

So, me being obsessed with asian food, decided to giver this lemon Italian risotto an Asian twist. And, well, it worked out pretty well I think. But it would be wrong to take all the credit. My dad helped massively to make this a success, because if it was down to me, you'd probably take one bite and your face would scrunch up into a prune.

Anyway, this dish is perfect for any time of the season. It really is an all rounder. Great for the summer as a light and refreshing dish. Amazing for the winter as a soothing dish. When there's the cold that constantly lingers in the air around you're head, this has everything you need to help cure it and uplift your spirits.

Ginger, chilli, Garlic, Lemon, Honey... Do i really need to go on?

Asian Ginger Lemon Chicken Risotto

Serevs: 4

Ingredients

• 4 small chicken breasts

• 90g honey

• 1 inch ginger, grated ( it's up to you really how much you fancy using. I used a lot and still couldn't taste it that much )

• 2tbsp rice wine vinegar

• 35ml dark soy sauce mixed with 15 ml water

• 1 large red chilli, minced

• 4 shallots, finely slices

• 2tbsp olive oil

• 250g uncooked grains ( I used an IKEA mixed grains pouch )

• seasoning

For the sauce

• 300ml water

• 1 chicken stock cube

• 270ml white wine

• 1 lemon, juice and zest

• 6 garlic cloves, minced

To serve

• spring onions, sliced

• Cashews, lightly toasted in a frying pan

• Sriracha, optional

Method

- Combine the Sauce ingredients together. Add the grains to a medium sized sauce pan. pour over the sauce and heat everything together over a medium-high heat.

- Stir the grains frequently to ensure it doesn't burn on the bottom. The grains will take about 30-40 minutes to be ready.

- Heat the oil in a frying pan ( make sure it has a lid- I didn't have one so i just used a casserole dish ).

- Once hot, add the chicken and season well. Stir then cover. Let it cook for 2 minutes.

- Lift the lid and flip the chicken. Cover and cook for a further 2 minutes. Repeat these steps until the chicken is pretty much cooked through. Remove to a plate. Leave any juices behind. Remove to a plate

- In the same pan, add the onions, chilli and ginger to the same pan. Fry until the onions are soft before stirring through the honey. Cover and let everything cook for a few minutes.

- Remove the lid and let it cook for a minute more before adding it to the grains. Stir everything together.

- Add the chicken back to the pan as well as the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Stir everything then cover. Let it cook for a few minutes before stirring again.

- Make sure to keep checking the grains. If they need more liquid, just add some water in. Don't be shy to add to much. They should end up being thick and almost gloopy in consistency.

- After about 8-10 minutes of the chicken being cooked in the sauce, remove the lid and cook for about 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce down. Stir frequently.

- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the chicken. This is just to further finish of the sauce and keep it warm while the grains finish cooking.

- The chicken is ready when most of the liquid is gone and it clings to the chicken chunks in a thick sticky glaze.

- Scoop the grains evenly between the bowls. Spoon over the chicken and some of the sticky sauce. Sprinkle the spring onions and cashews. Serve with the Sriracha for extra kick!