Lemon and Sage Risotto with Herb Roasted Chicken

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Combine the herbs, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in a baking dish and season well. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Place in the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes, basting once during cooking. Set aside, lightly covered to rest for 10 minutes.

Risotto: Heat the oil and butter in a sauté pan and cook the onion and garlic until tender but not coloured. Add the lemon zest, sage and the rice and toss to coat in the oil. ‘Toast’ the rice until warm then add all the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and season. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes then give the risotto a stir. Cover again and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the risotto is cooked to your liking. Remove from the heat and stir through the Parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning.

To serve: Spoon the risotto into warm shallow bowls. Slice the chicken and place on top of the risotto. Spoon a little of the pan juices over the chicken if desired and serve immediately. The risotto can be garnished with extra sage leaves that have been cooked until crisp in a little olive oil. 

Note: This no-stir method of cooking risotto is only successful if the rice used has not been ‘polished’. Ferron rice is widely available at specialty food stores. It is milled by ancient methods which retain the coating of starch on the exterior of each grain, removing the need to stir the rice to release its starch from within.