Occasionally on a Sunday we will cook a roast chicken with all the trimming. We love a roast on Sunday especially a roast chicken. I buy a chicken that is much bigger we need for that meal. The leftovers are then put in the fridge and used for another meal. Normally I will make a chicken curry or stew in the slow cooker. They are so easy to make and tasty really yummy as well.
In recent months I have been thinking about what else I could make with the leftover chicken. I enjoy cooking a risotto as it’s another easy dish for me to cook. Instead of tomatoes I decided to use my homemade cashew nut cream cheese as a sauce. I mixed it in at the end of the meal along with the chicken. My family and I really enjoyed this meal. It made a delicious change from curry and stew and it’s definitely one dinner we will be eating again.
Do use the leftover chicken in meals and if so what kind of dinners do you cook? Let me know in the comments below and please don’t forget to like and follow me.
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Spoon
- Baking tray
- Large saucepan
- Stirring spoon
- Tablespoon
Ingredients
- Butternut Squash x 1 small
- Leftover chicken or chicken breasts x 500g
- Spring onions x 1 bunch 6 – 8 or more
- Garlic x 2 cloves
- Rice x 300g
- Chicken or vegetable stock x 600mls
- Cashew nut cream cheese or cream cheese x 200g
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Nutritional yeast or parmesan x 2 – 4 tbsps (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C or gas mark 4.
- Cut the top and the bottom from the butternut squash.
- Peel the skin with the vegetable peeler.
- Next cut the squash lengthways and remove the seeds with the tablespoon.
- Now cut the squash into 2 centimetre pieces and put into the baking tray.
- Peel the carrots and slice them into chunky pieces.
- Put these into the baking tray.
- Drizzle oil over the top and add salt and pepper to your tastes.
- Toss all the ingredients together.
- Once the oven has preheated put the baking tray in and roast the vegetables for 30 – 40 minutes.
- When the vegetables are golden brown, remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Once cooled add the butternut squash to the cashew nut cream cheese and blend these ingredients together.
- Now cut the tops and bottoms from the spring onions.
- Slice the spring onions 1/2 centimetre thickness.
- Peel the garlic and slice it.
- Put the large pan onto a high heat and fry the spring onions until they start to soften.
- It should take around 3 – 5 minutes before they soften.
- Then add in the garlic and fry for a further minute or so.
- If the pan gets to hot turn it down and add a little water to the base to stop the other ingredients from sticking.
- Wash the rice through twice in the colander under the tap.
- Next add in the brown rice and fry for another minute or until the rice begins to become see through.
- Pour in the chicken stock or water.
- Cover the rice mixture until it is 2 centimetres above the top of the rice in the pan.
- You can use the first cress on your middle finger that there is enough water in the pan.
- Bring the stock or water to the boil. Turn the heat down to low and leave it to simmer.
- It will take a little while but the efforts are worth the results.
- If the rice is taking a little too long then turn the heat up slightly and stir the rice until the stock disappears.
- If you are using chicken breasts, cut the chicken into 1 inch thick pieces.
- Put a small frying pan onto a high heat on the hob and cook the chicken until it is golden brown.
- Add in the cashew nut cream cheese or cream cheese to the rice and stir it in.
- Next add in the leftover chicken or now cooked chicken and stir until everything has been mixed together.
- Put the frying back onto a high heat and add oil.
- Once the pan is hot add in the kale or spinach and fry until the start to wilt.
- Finally serve the risotto and greens.
- Sprinkle parmesan or nutritional yeast over the top and enjoy.
Chicken and Butternut Squash Creamy Risotto was so yummy. My husband Howard and son Ted’s plates were cleaned by the end of the meal. It’s always a good sign when you could put the plates back into the cupboard that my little family have enjoyed there meal. Sadly this meal isn’t freezable but you could make the cashew nut cream cheese in advance. You can freeze the cream cheese and defrost it before you need to use it in this dinner. All you would have to do when cooking this dish is fry the vegetables and cook the rice. It’s that simple! However you decide to eat this dish, as always, please enjoy. Thank you xxx
Googies Kitchen Life 