I have a bit of a love affair with true Italian cuisine. One of my best friends at secondary school was Italian – sleepovers at her house were always the best, the breakfasts were incredible! I’ve never actually managed to visit Italy (yet!) but eating traditional Italian produce is, I’m sure, the next best thing.
I made Italian Basil Chicken, served with infamous black rice (Which was super tasty seasoned with some of the fat from the pancetta but don’t tell my arteries!)
| Serves | 3-4 |
| Prep time | 10 minutes |
| Cook time | 50 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hour |
| Meal type | Main Dish |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Gourmet, Serve Hot |
INGREDIENTS
- 3-4 Chicken Thighs (Oven cooked for 30 mins in foil)
- 1 Small Onion (Chopped finely)
- 1 Yellow Pepper (Chopped into small cubes)
- 3 tablespoons Basil Chicken Passata (Or 1 tin tomatos, 6 basil leaves finely chopped, 1 tbsp tomato puree, black pepper)
- 1 clove Garlic (Chopped finely)
- 100g Pancetta (Chopped into small cubes)
DIRECTIONS
| Black Rice | |
| 1. | |
| I cooked the black rice according to the instructions on the box – Soak in water and cook for 35 minutes in a large pan. Drain the pan, then cool and place in the fridge until needed – Can be in fridge for up to 24 hours | |
| Italian Chicken | |
| 2. | |
| Pan fry the pancetta until the fat is reduced. Remove from the pan and remove half of the remaining fat (You will stir the rice through this just before serving) | |
| 3. | |
| In the remaining far, cook the chopped onion until soft and transparent | |
| 4. | |
| Add the peppers and continue to cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. | |
| 5. | |
| Add the chicken and the passata (See ingredients list for alternative if not using bought passata). Return the pancetta to the pan and cook until all ingredients are combined and hot all the way through. | |
| 6. | |
| Serve on black rice if you have it and add extra tomato basil sauce on top of the chicken. | |
I love Italian food, but have never tried black rice. What does it taste like? Thanks for linking up with #TriedTested
HI Kate, Its like a stronger tasting, meaty and hearty rice – I think it definitely benefits from being seasoned with the pancetta fat. I like that it doesn’t go clumpy and stick together x
Oooh that looks delicious. I keep meaning to try black rice x #recipeoftheweek
Looks very tasty Helen. I’ve never tried black rice.
the rice sounds delicious – I’m not sure I’d have been brave enough to order it as it does look a bit strange!
Thanks so much for linking up with #TriedTested this week x
Love this and I’ve never eaten black rice, must try it-gorgeous recipe. Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays