I’ve been steadily working my through through the supply of meat and poultry in my freezer and decided to use the last bag of plump boneless chicken thighs in this evening’s dinner. This is another dish where the majority of the work can be done ahead of time and then the entire one-pot-wonder popped into the oven for 45 minutes before calling the troops to the table. 

I used Calasparra rice, which is a short, dense variety usually reserved for paella. Calasparra, along with Carnaroli are excellent varieties to use in a hearty, savoury oven baked dish. They manage to retain their individual shape and density, while still absorbing the incredible flavours of the surrounding ingredients. 

Chorizo sausages are a smoked Spanish sausage with a distinct paprika-scented smokey flavour. Widely available from supermarkets, butchers and continental grocers, they have a crisp texture and mouth watering aroma when cooked.

Oh So Easy Oven Baked Risotto to serve 8 people generously

Extra virgin olive oil
50 g unsalted butter (don’t panic, your arteries will not close up as this is divided among all the diners)
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 large Spanish onion finely diced
1 large carrot finely diced
300 g long green stringless beans, cut into 2cm lengths
2 heaped teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
8 chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
4 cups Calasparra rice
8 cups chicken stock (or half water and half chicken stock)
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 chorizo sausages (mild if cooking for children but you can use the fiery spicy ones if this dish will be served to adults). 

Melt half of the butter with a splash of olive oil in a large fry-pan and add the garlic, onion, carrot, beans and thyme. Saute over a low heat for 10 minutes. 

Scrape this into your large baking pan. 

Add another splash of olive oil, increase the heat to medium and brown the chicken, sprinkling with the salt. Add the browned chicken to the baking pan. 

Add the remaining half of the butter and when melted, pour in the rice and stir until it starts to turn opaque. Scrape this into the baking pan and slowly add the chicken stock which should be at room temperature. Mix the contents of your baking dish with a spoon until combined. Your mixture will resemble thick soup which is exactly how it should look. The ample amount of liquid is required to cook the rice via the oven bake method. You will be pleasantly surprised at the result. 

At this point you can either cover the dish and place it in the fridge until you are ready to cook it later or put it into a preheated oven at 200 degrees for a total of 45 minutes. The risotto should NOT be covered while it is cooking. 

Half an hour into the cooking process, dot the thickly sliced chorizo over the surface of the risotto and continue to bake for another 15 minutes.

Best eaten warm with a shaving of Parmesan cheese.